Earlier this month, Indiana University formally dedicated a building based on designs by legendary modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies originally designed the structure in 1952 to be a fraternity house for the Alpha Theta chapter of Pi Lambda Phi. The fraternity abandoned the project and the little-known designs were largely forgotten. In 2013, Sidney Eskenazi, a former member of the fraternity, related the story to IU President Michael A. McRobbie, kicking off a search for the designs. The search uncovered the designs and eventually led to the building’s construction thanks in large part to a $20 million gift to the school from Sidney and Lois Eskenazi. Once completed this fall, the approximately 10,000-square-foot building will be a shared facility for the IU Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
See more photosBlog
Indiana University commencements
When we started planning our team’s coverage of Indiana University’s commencement ceremonies back in March, I challenged my colleagues to “photograph the weird”. Things are weird. Document it. Document the history. My unit’s primary focus is marketing, but I have felt a big, self-assigned responsibility since the beginning of the pandemic to make sure our 200-year-old university’s history is captured. After all, I don’t anticipate much of a shelf life for marketing photos featuring masks and social distancing if the pandemic ends.
I photographed five commencement ceremonies this year. After two ceremonies here in Bloomington, I traveled to IU regional campuses in Kokomo, South Bend and Gary. The ceremonies were held without audience members in attendance making for a striking visual component to each ceremony. Commencement is arguably a university’s most important ritual – and typically one of the most photographed. By documenting it this year I hope my photos will stand in contrast to those taken in “normal times”.
See more photos2021 Little 500
What a strange yet somewhat normal day. It was strange because the Little 500 was in May instead of April. It was strange because both races were on the same day. It was strange because the stadium was devoid of fans and eerily quiet – so much so that I could hear riders talking to each other on the track over a constant hum of cicadas. Yet it was kind of normal. It felt normal to go somewhere in real life. It felt normal to make pictures. It felt normal to work with my colleagues as a team. I would imagine this sentiment is common as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it struck me how profoundly odd the day was.
The Little 500 is arguably my favorite thing to photograph at Indiana University. I’m always drawn to the action, the moments and especially the vibrant colors of the event. As a student, I photographed the race (poorly) a few times and always wanted another crack at it after college. This year marked my fifth year photographing the race for IU – the first one I had captured since 2018.
See more photosPamela S. Whitten introduced as Indiana University’s 19th president
Winter Wonderland at Indiana University Bloomington
Now that winter has finally subsided (fingers crossed), I wanted to take a look back at what was a picturesque winter on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. As a native Hoosier, February has always been my least favorite month of the year. This isn’t even taking into account the once-in-a-century global pandemic. One thing that did brighten my spirits this year, however, was the snow. It gave me an excuse to get outdoors, chase some squirrels and make a few pictures. In Bloomington we don’t normally get this much snow so it was a real treat to capture the campus in a different weather perspective.
[Read more…] about Winter Wonderland at Indiana University Bloomington