This is a picture of the Festival lawn and the surroundings on east campus. It’s pretty much the central location between ISAT, Festival and the Skyline dorms. There is a wide variety of space in this picture, including the Festival lawn, the new stadium, ISAT, and a small portion of what will soon be the new Biochemistry building. Some of the main uses of this space are socializing and learning. Students can sit outside in the grass or even inside ISAT, provided you’re lucky enough to get a table, to talk or get work done. I’ve even seen classes outside when it’s nice out. Another portion of this picture, the newly renovated stadium, is also used for social purposes. I think campus designers intended this space to be used for the exact things it is currently being used for. One practical improvement I can think of would be to add a few more trashcans/recycling bins along this space so students don’t have to walk inside ISAT to find a trashcan. James Madison University has a beautiful campus, and the Festival lawn is one of them. I think this space is aesthetically pleasing, even with all of the buildings. I might be the only one but I do like the design of ISAT, particularly the main entrance (not shown in this picture!).
Once I declared my major last year (as a sophomore), a majority of my time was spent on east campus, so this is a space I passed through on a daily basis. I used to sit inside Festival at the tables before my classes or if I had really long breaks and I needed to get work done. That’s actually what I was doing when I took this picture. Between classes I also like to sit outside (if the weather is nice) and read or hang out with friends, and have spent numerous evenings eating dinner at the picnic tables outside Festival (not pictured) that overlook the lawn. This picture represents where a majority of my time at JMU was spent.
Jordan Gray
Many of the uses that Jordon mentioned for this space are spot on to how I use this space. There are benches in this area for students to relax on, and as the weather gets nicer, people have started to tan, play Frisbee, and sit outside and do homework in this area. The JMU rock is also located in this area, where many people come to color with creative designs and messages. I use this space to walk through to get to festival in order to eat, as well as to sit out on a nice day and relax with friends. This image moves me because I have seen this image myself everyday when I sit inside festival. Many times I sit and eat or do homework, so I do not necessarily stop to enjoy the view. This picture allows me to do just that, stop, think a while, and reflect on the beauty of the JMU campus.
ReplyDeleteLauren Cavalieri
GAMST 200
9:05-9:55
I definitely think that Jordan has it right with all that she mentioned, but I also think the Festival lawn is used for a little bit more. The festival lawn is also a place to play Football, Soccer and maybe even chucking discs! There really are endless possibilities. It's also a shortcut to UREC!
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not use the space. I am normally on the other side of campus unless I'm taking classes. But if my course load directs me to that side of campus in future semesters, I will definitely be hanging out there a little bit more.
What moves me about the image is the space it covers. It almost looks like it was taken from the sky. It's absolutely incredible!
Chiedo (CJ) John
GAMST 200
11:15 - !2:05
I live on East Campus so this picture caught my attention right away. You mentioned many uses of the Festival Lawn, which I believe is actually the “center” of East Campus. We talked about in class how JMU can be split up into separate “centers” regarding the architecture in each area, and I believe the Festival Lawn is a great depiction of that. This lawn is also a public space and is used in similar ways to the quad, with uses like students conversing, waiting for classes to start, exercising, studying, and even big events like Madipalooza going on. Greenberg mentions in his article that college campuses should have a common theme, and Festivals architecture is similar to that of E-Hall, the Skyline dorms, ECL, and the HHS/ISAT buildings.
ReplyDeleteMichaela Sibole, Dr. H. GAMST class