We’re surrounded by buildings: from houses to churches, from civic buildings to the big box stores on 28th Street. Occasionally, these structures are brilliant; typically, they’re ho-hum. Regardless, it’s easy not to ‘see’ them or to focus only on the most obvious features of their appearance. As an invitation to encounter buildings through fresh eyes, this brief course encourages participants instead to think about how buildings work on us, how they affect our moods, and how they shape the way we live. We’ll begin with Calvin’s Knollcrest Campus and focus on how these buildings are sized and how their parts fit together. You might just see the world around you in totally new ways!

The CALL program joins the University in celebrating Calvin’s 150^th anniversary this academic year and offers this course at no charge.

Subject: architecture

Craig Hanson is a professor of art history at Calvin University with master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago. His research addresses the intersections of art, medicine, and antiquarianism from 1600-1820s. He is especially interested in issues of collecting, patronage, institutional support for the arts, national identity, art and fashion, and the history of taste.