Past Exhibitions

An exhibition in honor of the 450th Anniversary of the city of St. Augustine, featuring items related to Government House. Government House (also known as Governor’s House) is located at the heart of this historic colonial town and is uniquely situated to tell stories about the long and complex history of the city. Curated by Matt Armstrong, Tom Caswell, Jim Cusick, and John Nemmers, the exhibit was on display in the Smathers Library Gallery from August 24 – October 23, 2015. See the Government House exhibit.

William Morgan, FAIA

Graduate students from the class “Florida Modern: The Identity of an Architecture Engaged by a Regional Sense of Place” (Professor Guy Peterson, UF School of Architecture) explored the modern works of Jacksonville architect William N. Morgan, FAIA. Focused on six residences designed by Morgan, the exhibition presented case studies on each structure analyzing them for their regional qualities and relationship between architecture and nature. The exhibition was on display on the first floor of the Smathers Library Building from April 1, 2012 – June 1, 2012.

Featuring sketches by Robert Broward, Alain Huin, William Morgan, Alfred Browning Parker, and Kenneth Treister, The Art of the Sketch presented the uniquely personal and visual exercise for architects that facilitates discovery into spatial relationships, light, and volume. The exhibition was on display on the first floor of the Smathers Library Building from April 23, 2012 – June 22, 2012.

Establishing his practice in the 1940s, Alfred Browning Parker quickly gained fame for his visionary architecture and extraordinary craftsmanship. Renowned for his environmentally friendly designs in the Modernist style, he designed and built over 6,400 projects throughout his lifetime and won numerous awards. The exhibition was on display on the first floor of the Smathers Library Building from September 23, 2011 – February 20, 2012.

The exhibition was on display at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida (now: History Miami) in 2004-2005 and at the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee, 2005-2006.


A retrospective of the life and career of one of the most influential American landscape architects of the twentieth century, John Ormsbee Simonds. Faculty and students of the UF Department of Landscape Architecture collaborated both in the creation of this exhibition and in arranging and describing the Simonds Collection. The exhibition was on display in the Smathers Library Gallery from November 15, 2005 until February 3, 2006. See the Simonds exhibit materials.

The exhibition was on display at the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach in 2007-2008 and at the Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida, 2008-2009.


The exhibition was on display at the University of Florida Reitz Union Gallery, Gainesville, Florida, in 2008. The exhibition was curated by UF School of Architecture graduate student, Dereck Winning, with guidance from Prof. Martha Kohen. 


The exhibition was on display in the University of Florida Smathers Library Grand Reading Room in 2009. The exhibition was co-sponsored by DOCOMOMO/FL as part of the national DOCOMOMO Annual Tour Day.

This exhibition featured architectural models, drawings, and photographs from John Howey’s Sarasota School of Architecture Collection. Architects Ralph Twitchell, Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, Tim Seibert, Jack West, and Gene Leedy, among others, are represented. The exhibition was co-sponsored by the UF School of Architecture and curated by Department of History graduate student, Timothy Fritz. The exhibition was on display in 2009 in the Smathers Library Gallery. 

An exhibition curated by Timothy Fritz with guidance from John Nemmers, Cindy Peterson, and John Howey.
University of Florida Smathers Library Second Floor Exhibit Gallery
November 11 – December 24, 2009 Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 4:45 pm

“The years: 1941 to 1966. The place: Sarasota, Florida. The story: a sudden burst of fresh, innovative houses and buildings by a group of Americans who caught the imagination of the international architectural community. Influenced by local climate, construction practices, regional culture, and Florida life-style, the work of the Sarasota school of architecture marks a high point in the development of regional modernism in American architecture.” Although the Sarasota school, also known as “Sarasota Modern,” wasn’t a consciously organized movement, it was an important chapter in American modernism led by practitioners such as Ralph Twitchell, Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, Tim Seibert, Jack West, Gene Leedy, Philip Hiss, and Mark Hampton.

John Howey’s Sarasota School of Architecture Collection was acquired by the University of Florida Architecture Archives in 2009. As a partnership between the George A. Smathers Libraries and the School of Architecture since 2004, the Architecture Archives has become a leading repository for historical records pertaining to the architects and architecture of Florida. John Howey, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, has practiced architecture in the Tampa Bay region since 1965. In the 1990s, he began writing and lecturing about Sarasota architecture, culminating in the 1995 publication of his book, The Sarasota School of Architecture, 1941-1966 (M.I.T. Press).

In 1996, John Howey created an exhibition featuring many of the photographs, models and drawings included in the book. The Howey Collection in the Architecture Archives includes the objects from the 1996 exhibition, as well as research materials on the Sarasota architects and their buildings. This University of Florida exhibition includes a selection of models, photographs and other documents from the Howey Collection. The exhibits demonstrate many of the characteristics and practices associated with the Sarasota school: attention to terrain, large glass doors and windows, natural ventilation, and shades, shutters and jalousie windows.

Resources

This exhibition was on display in 2010 at the Beaches Museum & History Center, Jacksonville, Florida.