Adjunct Assistant Professors Alaina Read Griffin and Cody Tyler Schueller will talk about On the Middle, a documentation carried out by them of the Geographic Center of the Continental United States, located 3 miles outside of Lebanon, Kansas. Established in 1918 by the US Geological Survey, it is a tangible intersection of the geospatial methods that mapped the continent, the networks that service it, and the cultural norms that were instituted as a result. On this site are four specific architectural structures: the historic landmark, barbecue grill, picnic pavilion, and chapel. Together, these are coaxed from the large-scale modernist grid and emerge (perhaps unintentionally) as postmodern architecture typifying rural America.
On the Middle is funded through the 2025 Dean’s Professional Development Funds.
Wednesday, April 15,1 pm
Room 1100 A+DS
Figure credit: Courtesy of Alaina Read Griffin and Cody Tyler Schueller.