Engaging Readers

The Newhouse Center for the Humanities kicked off its 2015 Distinguished Thinkers series with a reading by Amitav Ghosh, whose new novel, Flood of Fire, concludes a trilogy about British colonialism and the birth of modern Asia. To prepare, Anjali Prabhu, director of the Newhouse Center, organized some 100 students in book clubs to read Ghosh’s earlier work. The center supplied supplementary material such as news stories, video clips, and scholarly articles. “We wanted students to be qualified to ask good questions,” Prabhu says.

Midcentury Modern

Jewett Art Center, built in 1958 by architect Paul Rudolph, received a $120,000 grant from the Getty Museum’s “Keeping It Modern” conservation initiative. In announcing the grant, Getty Foundation Director Deborah Marrow said that “Keeping It Modern” supports “some of the finest examples of modern architecture in the world.” The funds will support a conservation-management plan that prioritizes the retention of Jewett’s historic fabric, makes better use of existing spaces, and develops a treatment protocol for building components.

Hold the Door

A door is just a door until it’s gone. The carved Academic Quad doors on Green Hall didn’t get much attention until they were replaced with more modern versions that yelled “penitentiary” for some on campus. The resulting community discussion revealed that the doors—which are probably original and so date from the 1930s—were removed for restoration by well-known preservationist Richard Muckle of M&A Architectural Preservation. An analysis had shown approximately 22 layers of paint, with four or more exterior color schemes. The restored doors were expected back in all their dark green Gothic glory by late fall.