Sunday, April 1, 2012

Tori Lugar's Madison Space for Dr. H.

This picture is of the Astronomy Park located between ISAT and the Skyline dorms. This area consists of concrete benches for people to sit on and it also has an open field around it. This public space can be used for socializing with friends, doing homework, performing, as a JMU band did last week, and also for classroom use. On any nice day, groups of friends can be seen lying out in the sun on the benches, either reading for homework, talking, or playing various sports such as frisbee or football. Kevin Mattson stated in his article, “That is why architect who designed public spaces in the past invested them with symbolic power…They were to be beautiful so that they could evoke pride and public interaction.” The construction of the Astronomy Park and surrounding field areas can reflect this statement made my Mattson because it was created to stand as a symbol for community and togetherness, so many students can congregate together and interact, whether they know each other or not. The area was originally constructed for astronomy use, where students and could use the stands to put telescopes on and observe the stars and planets. Over time, professors and students have changed this area to be used as an outdoor classroom and a social area, respectively. The public space allows strangers to interact and people to speak their mind on various issues if desired. Students in bands have also used the area to promote their group and perform for the people in the Astronomy Park. Overall, the Astronomy Park is a public space that allows public interaction and promotes a sense of community here at JMU.
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2 comments:

  1. JMU GAMSTApril 10, 2012 at 7:20 PM

    Being that I am a health science major, the majority of my classes before this semester have been on this side of campus. The photographer did a good job listing all of the possible uses of this space ranging from playing sports to classroom usage. When the weather permits, I often use this space to meet up with friends before class. It also serves as a good place to relax and study on nice sunny days. What moves me about the image taken here is the fact that the photographer incorporated many elements into the image and also the time of day the image was taken.
    -Katie Lick

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  2. JMU GAMSTApril 15, 2012 at 8:07 PM

    I think this space also brings back much of the historic architecture Greenberg spoke of in his article. Many old universities were designed around Gothic, medieval, classic, etc styles and in a similar way, this amphitheater is a common theme in Roman architecture. Its construction was another way more colleges are straying from their original architecture. I particularly enjoy the views from this part of campus of the mountains, Harrisonburg, and the rest of JMU. It allows for students to see campus from a different perspective.
    -Emily Leclerc

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