Alyssa Wolf’s Madison Space for Dr. H.

This is a photograph of the newly constructed art gallery on the fourth floor of Warren Hall.  Although it may seem impossible to imagine now, this was once a wide open area with couches and tables that students affectionately called the Airport Lounge.  Students would gather here to study, meet with clubs, hang out with friends, or as I often saw—sleep.  It was a fun little public area in which to do just about anything.  However, starting this semester, the Airport Lounge was fully renovated, squared off into rooms, and transformed into an art gallery.  Don’t get me wrong, art galleries are cool too, but there is a little something missing now that this cozy hangout is gone.  It is a common example of the decrease of public space and town centers that Kevin Mattson writes about.  One of my friends who is a part of the Freethinkers club was very upset about the loss of the Airport Lounge.  The club held their weekly meetings there and was forced to relocate after the lounge was lost.  They now hold their meetings in Roop Hall, in a room with clunky desks and chairs in the way of their open conversation.  Needless to say, she says the club just isn’t the same.  There is no longer a welcoming public space to get together and discuss their views, which results in a loss of democracy. Even though the art gallery is essentially a public space, the university is telling us the way in which the space should be used, whereas the Airport Lounge could be used for anything.  However, I question whether the art gallery is really still a public area—I had to peer through its locked glass doors to take this picture.