In fall 2021, I conceived, designed, and curated an exhibition celebrating the Brutalist architecture of UMass Amherst and UMass Dartmouth — two campuses that, in the 1960s, commissioned some of the most distinguished architects in the country, including Marcel Breuer, Paul Rudolph, Edward Durell Stone, and Kevin Roche.

Despite a recent resurgence of interest in Brutalism, it remains unpopular with the general public. Brutalism in Color argued that this stems from a fundamental misunderstanding: while most people associate the style with gray concrete, these buildings have always had a colorful side. The exhibition presented archival photography, original artwork, and documentation of recent renovations to reveal how architects, designers, and caretakers have long incorporated color into and around these structures — through textiles, water, paint, and art.

Pictured: Exhibition poster, Brutalism in Color, UMass Amherst, 2021