Larry Speck has spent nearly fifty years problem-solving, teaching, and advancing the study of architecture at The University of Texas at Austin. A staple of UT’s School of Architecture, Speck teaches more than a thousand students each year, including 100 incoming freshmen in the undergraduate studies class Creative Problem Solving, and 900 students in Architecture and Society.

This summer Landmarks welcomed students from the UT Prep program, organized by UTeach Outreach. The program aims to increase access to STEM-based educational opportunities for students from underserved communities and backgrounds. Learn more about the workshop and activities in Landmarks Blog.

Research shows that looking at art is a proven technique for stress relief. Landmarks’ collection, including James Turrell’s Skyspace, The Color Inside, offers space for contemplation and opportunities for relaxation every day. Earlier this summer, we spoke with Dr. Rosa Schnyer, (DAOM, IFMCP, L.AC.) a doctor of Chinese medicine, functional clinician, and professor in the School of Nursing who uses Landmarks’ in her teaching and practice. In her seminar at UT Austin, “The Science of Mindfulness, the Art of Attention”, Dr. Schnyer focuses on actionable techniques to lower and manage stress. In this blog she spotlights the research behind mindfulness and wellness practices for her students, including the benefits of engaging with art.

In May, Landmarks partnered with the Fitness Institute of Texas for a movement-infused tour of the collection. Landmarks’ education intern, Abby Drake, reflects on the tour and recounts the innovative ways the collection inspired physical activity and movement.

This semester, I had the great privilege of working with Mk Haley and her students for the course, Themed Entertainment Design. As part of this Arts and Entertainment Technologies class, Professor

Landmarks recently announced the return of Sound in Sculpture, our annual collaboration with the Butler School of Music and Texas Performing Arts. In advance of the program, we sat down with one of this year’s composers, Thomas Rodriguez. A 3rd year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Minor in Arts Management and Administration, Rodriguez wrote a work inspired by Joel Perlman’s Square Tilt.

Girl Day 2020: Making monumental sculptures out of everyday office supplies By Marissa Dunagan Girl Day at UT Austin is an annual event hosted each February by the Cockrell School of Engineering as

Myfawny Shepherd was the 2019 Education Intern. She is a senior studying Studio Art in the College of Fine Arts. Read about her experience designing a guided tour for visitors based on opposing perspectives that can be found in several works from the Landmarks Collection.

Earlier this year, Landmarks launched Songs in the Skyspace, a new music series hosted inside James Turrell’s Skyspace The Color Inside . The series features a variety of performers from campus and community, including Austin Classical Guitar. For their first performance, ACG commissioned Austin-based composer Matthew Lyons to write a piece in response to The Color Inside. The work was premiered on 24 November and an encore performance will be held on 15 December. We recently sat down with Matthew Lyons to learn more about his process and his composition for the Skyspace.

Landmarks interviewed Stone Tejeda, an undergraduate senior in Computer Science specializing in robotics at The University of Texas at Austin who also just completed his third summer as a Skyspace attendant. We caught up with Stone to learn more about his interest in the arts, music, computer science, and robotics.

Intern Megan McKenzie reflects on Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #520, and discusses conservation efforts with Landmarks’ assistant director of collections Nisa Barger.

School of Architecture students create unique design interventions for Amistad América by José Parlá, a mural located in high-traffic Rowling Hall.