brutalist architecture

UMassBRUT project wins Docomomo US Modernism in America Award for celebration of unique architecture on the UMass Dartmouth and UMass Amherst campuses

UMassBrut, a collaborative campaign led by a group of faculty, students, staff, and administrators at UMass Dartmouth and UMass Amherst, received a Docomomo US Modernism in America Inventory/Survey Award of Excellence for its efforts to raise awareness and appreciation of the significant brutalist structures that shape much of both campuses.

The bold, imposing architecture at UMass Dartmouth is a result of famed 1950’s and 60’s architect Paul Rudolph’s vision for an “urban” public university, coupled with progressive achievements in the fields of design and engineering.

“We are so fortunate that much of Rudolph’s brutalist campus remains intact,” said Anna Dempsey, Professor and Chairperson of the Art Education, Art History, & Media Studies department. “At UMass Dartmouth, he created a unified design that conveys a sense of progressive optimism and an open-ended one that allows for new aesthetic expressions. This work, which is rather unique for a public university, has been widely celebrated by international architects, planners, and designers—as well as members of the local communities in the SouthCoast.” professionals, artists, and passionate citizens with an interest in the preservation of mid to late twentieth-century architecture.

"UMassBrut's mission is to raise awareness of the relevance and international significance of our brutalist architectural heritage. To achieve this goal, we are developing a series of multi-year initiatives combining cross-interdisciplinary events, social media, and public outreach campaigns," said Allison Cywin, Librarian and Director of UMass Dartmouth’s Visual and Media Literacy hub.

"These activities will promote the importance of these architectural icons and highlight the critical need to preserve them now and for future generations. UMassBrut has raised more than $40,000 in grants, sponsorships, and departments' support, giving us the seed money to pursue future activities."

An ultra-collaborative project founded by Anna Dempsey (scholarly research) and Allison Cywin (administrative and additional support),

According to Docomomo, “The UMassBrut campaign stood out for its all-hands-on-deck approach to rallying large educational institutions around better stewardship of their modern resources. Following a two-day symposium, they have made great strides in educating and warming their community towards brutalism.”

The sold-out symposium provided a unique platform that brought together a team of distinguished scholars, industry

UMassBrut was also made possible thanks to UMassD faculty and staff Rose Mary Botti-Salitsky, Christina Bowen, Michelle Bowers, Lara Henderson, A. Lawrence Jenkens, Benjamin Jones, Viera Levitt, Stephanie McGoldrick, and Ramprasad Balasubramanian, students from the College of Visual & Performing Arts, and their respective counterparts at UMass Amherst. The group is looking to expand to include events at UMass Boston and launch a virtual campus tour next year.