The Student Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects (SCASLA) recently hosted several workshops for its members and for students from across the college. The workshops invited professionals to share their skills with students throughout the Gibbs College of Architecture (GCA).
During Fall 2018, the club hosted GCA alumni Brent Wall and Jessica Lerner of LAUD Studio. Wall and Lerner led a workshop on poster design and layout. The club also hosted Adrienne Wright, a lecturer at the University of Central Oklahoma, who led a workshop on how to produce and communicate effectively through hand-drawn graphics.
During Spring 2019, the workshops were themed towards helping students find jobs. In February, Wright returned to lead a portfolio workshop. Wright presented good and bad examples, as well as simple guidelines to establish clear communication with the reader. The guidelines included selecting fonts, graphics, and items to feature; organizing the portfolio; and finding a graphic theme to create a sense of cohesiveness. After the presentation, Wright evaluated a number of portfolios submitted by attendees in an instructive review.
In March, the club invited Dr. Rich Rudebock of Oklahoma Baptist University to lead a workshop on successful strategies for job interviews. Dr. Rudebock reviewed the elements of a handshake, what types of questions to expect in an interview, what questions to ask, and how to answer difficult answers honestly. He also provided general tips and tricks to make the most of an interview.
These workshops fulfill the club’s goal of “professional and intellectual stimulation among the students by services as a vehicle for exploration of ideas outside the formal classroom contents,” as stated on the GCA website.
In September of 2019, the SCASLA will host a three-day workshop with landscape architect and sketch artist Jim Richards. The workshop will span from September 19th to September 21st, with the primary event on the 21st consisting of a half-day “sketch crawl” in downtown Oklahoma City.
For more information about SCASLA, contact the Faculty Advisor, Dr. Tom Woodfin, at twoodfin@ou.edu.
[Featured Image: Landscape Architecture students on a travel study trip to Dallas-Fort Worth]