Life at the Sam Fox School

What’s it really like to be a Sam Fox School student? Scroll down to get a glimpse of studio life, meet our students, and see what’s happening right now on our side of campus.

Recent Happenings

Commencement 2023

Congratulations, Class of 2023! The Sam Fox School’s Recognition Ceremony took place on May 14, followed by WashU’s Commencement on May 15. Livestreams and photos from both events are available.

Recent Happenings

Y.E.S. 12.0: Architecture's Year End Show 2023

The annual student-curated exhibition of work by graduating students in the architecture programs took place on May 14, following the Architecture Awards Ceremony.

Recent Happenings

Kemper Live: Our Time

Inspired by the ongoing African Modernism in America exhibit, this spring’s Kemper Live performance event explored African and African diasporic arts past and present through dance and music.

Recent Happenings

Architecture final reviews

Students in the College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design completed final reviews for their classes the week of May 1.

Recent Happenings

2023 MFA-IVC Thesis Exhibition

This exhibition features thesis projects by the MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture candidates in the 2023 graduating class. The work will be on view for certain hours through May 14.

Recent Happenings

BFA in Communication Design Capstone Exhibition

BFA seniors in the communication design program exhibited their narrative design, interaction design, and illustration capstone projects in Steinberg Gallery.

Recent Happenings

Watch Your Head: MFA-VA First Year Candidacy Exhibition

MFA in Visual Art first-year candidates exhibited their work in a raw warehouse space in the City Foundry STL complex. The exhibition will be on display through May 7.

Recent Happenings

94th Annual WashU Fashion Design Show

Fashion design students exhibited their work in a runway show held in Holmes Lounge on WashU’s campus. Five BFA seniors debuted their capstone collections at the show.

Recent Happenings

Dove in the Bunker: BFA in Studio Art Capstone Exhibition

BFA seniors in the studio art program presented their capstone projects in an exhibition at the Des Lee Gallery.

Recent Happenings

2023 Awards for Distinction

Six alumni were honored at the annual ceremony on April 20. The Kemper family was awarded the Dean’s Medal for their contributions to the school. Learn more about this year’s honorees.

Recent Happenings

Moonscape of the Mind Symposium

Ken Tadashi Oshima delivered the keynote address for the symposium on Japanese American design after internment. The symposium is connected with an Olin Library exhibition, on view through July 9.

Recent Happenings

the air that inhabits: 2023 MFA in Visual Art Thesis Exhibition

the air that inhabits features thesis projects by MFA in Visual Art candidates in the 2023 graduating class. The exhibition is on view at the Kemper Art Museum through July 24.

Recent Happenings

AI + Design Mini-Symposium.

This half-day symposium explored the current state of AI technology, the future of AI-assisted design and the implications for design practice and training, among other topics.

Recent Happenings

Watershed Architecture Panel & Workshop at the Pulitzer

Derek Hoeferlin and Kotchakorn Voraakhom hosted an interactive panel and workshop on global landscape architecture challenges in the Mekong, Mississippi, and Rhine river basins on April 3.

Recent Happenings

Francis Kéré lectures at WashU

Kéré, the first African architect to win the Pritzker Prize, delivered the keynote lecture for the ACSA’s 111th Annual Meeting, hosted by the Sam Fox School, in WashU’s Graham Chapel.

Recent Happenings

BFA in Studio Art Juniors Exhibition at the Des Lee

I Am Not Afraid of Power Tools (and Other Affirmations) opened at the Des Lee Gallery on March 31 and featured a variety of work by junior students in the BFA in Studio Art program.

Recent Happenings

Kim installed as Raymond E. Maritz Professor of Architecture

The Sam Fox School installed Sung Ho Kim as the Raymond E. Maritz Professor of Architecture on March 27, 2023. A recording of the presentation is available to view.

Recent Happenings

Fitzgibbon Charrette 2023

Cory Henry, this year’s Fitzgibbon Charrette moderator, presented junior and senior architecture students with a prompt to design a ceiling for Spring Church, a familiar landmark to many St. Louisans.

Recent Happenings

Rivera installed as Joanne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor

The Sam Fox School installed Mónica Rivera, professor and chair of graduate architecture, as the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor on February 28, 2023. A recording is available.

Recent Happenings

2023 Laskey Charrette

Undergraduate art, architecture, and design students competed in the annual weekend-long design competition with guest reviewer Robert Wilson.

Recent Happenings

Hendrix installed as Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art

Carmon Colangelo, Amy Hauft, and Provost Beverly Wendland delivered remarks ahead of Hendrix’s talk entitled “Drawn Together.” A recording of the talk is available to view.

Recent Happenings

Climate Change panel at the Pulitzer

Sam Fox School faculty joined designer-in-residence Kotch Voraakhom and other experts at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation for a conversation about the impact of climate change on design & policy.

Close up of a smiling graduate in a crowd, wearing a green robe with a medal around their neck, holding a standard and a blue pennant reading "Sam Fox School, WashU23."

Two students lean over a wooden building model on a table in a gallery space. Other models are on display around the space and a crowd of student and parent attendees view the work.

Jazz quartet performs with a singer in the foyer of the Kemper Art Museum outside the entrance of an exhibit labeled "African Modernism in America."

Smiling student stands next to architecture project work in front of a seated group of faculty.

Group of smiling students poses in front of a blue wall hung with a bright pink and green MFA-IVC exhibition poster.

Crowded gallery space with posters on the wall representing illustration and design projects. People flip through picture books and watch animations on screens around the room.

Raw warehouse space with floor to ceiling windows, concrete floors, and graffitied brick walls that is serving as a gallery space for an art exhibition. In the foreground is a pink plastic bubble-like sculpture, and in the background is hung a massive US flag with the blue section imprinted with a pattern that is not stars.

Models walk a fashion show runway in a collection of size-adjustable leather and lace dress combinations with purple accents.

Person stands in a gallery space looking at a large painting on the wall. The painting is colorful with a sketchy, graffiti-like quality. A purple lotus and a skeleton's ribcage are prominent in the design.

Group photo of the awardees holding black glass bowls with red rims.

Oshima stands at a podium in front of two screens displaying an image of a square white sculptural tile with a pink plexi overlay. The slide reads "Moonscape of the Mind: Japanese American Design after Internment." Oshima smiles and addresses a seated audience.

Three students stand in front of a black, 7 foot tall ceramic urn in a gallery space filled with visitors. Other paintings and sculptural artworks can be seen around the gallery.

Indoor courtyard with a living green wall is filled with seated students and faculty attending a symposium. Two lecturers sit in front of the green wall in conversation. On a screen behind them is a procedurally-generated architectural image.

Hoeferlin addresses a crowd at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. Behind him are several co-panelists and a tv monitor displaying the cover of his book, "Way Beyond Bigness."

Francis Kéré, wearing a medal on a red and yellow ribbon, speaks at a podium in front of a projector screen in Graham Chapel.

Closeup of an artwork on a pedestal in a gallery space. Four pieces of fruit are arranged together - a melon, an orange, a desiccated clementine, and a very brown banana. The melon and orange have intricate black linework tattoos of flowers twining around them. A flower pattern has been carved into the clementine, and the banana is just very dark all over.

Kim poses with Ken Kranzberg in Steinberg Auditorium. Both wear suits, Kim wears a flower on his lapel.

Spring Church in St. Louis - the shell of a stone-walled church, missing windows and roof. Students walk through the structure with notebooks and phones out.

Carmon Colangelo, Corinna Cotsen, Chancellor Martin, and Mónica Rivera pose together for a portrait.

Wilson converses with a group of students in the architecture studios.

Provost Wendland bestows the professorship medal on John Hendrix.

Voraakhom takes a selfie with a crowd at the Pulizter Arts Foundation.

Congratulations, Class of 2023! The Sam Fox School’s Recognition Ceremony took place on May 14, followed by WashU’s Commencement on May 15. Livestreams and photos from both events are available.

The annual student-curated exhibition of work by graduating students in the architecture programs took place on May 14, following the Architecture Awards Ceremony.

Inspired by the ongoing African Modernism in America exhibit, this spring’s Kemper Live performance event explored African and African diasporic arts past and present through dance and music.

Students in the College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design completed final reviews for their classes the week of May 1.

This exhibition features thesis projects by the MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture candidates in the 2023 graduating class. The work will be on view for certain hours through May 14.

BFA seniors in the communication design program exhibited their narrative design, interaction design, and illustration capstone projects in Steinberg Gallery.

MFA in Visual Art first-year candidates exhibited their work in a raw warehouse space in the City Foundry STL complex. The exhibition will be on display through May 7.

Fashion design students exhibited their work in a runway show held in Holmes Lounge on WashU’s campus. Five BFA seniors debuted their capstone collections at the show.

BFA seniors in the studio art program presented their capstone projects in an exhibition at the Des Lee Gallery.

Six alumni were honored at the annual ceremony on April 20. The Kemper family was awarded the Dean’s Medal for their contributions to the school. Learn more about this year’s honorees.

Ken Tadashi Oshima delivered the keynote address for the symposium on Japanese American design after internment. The symposium is connected with an Olin Library exhibition, on view through July 9.

the air that inhabits features thesis projects by MFA in Visual Art candidates in the 2023 graduating class. The exhibition is on view at the Kemper Art Museum through July 24.

This half-day symposium explored the current state of AI technology, the future of AI-assisted design and the implications for design practice and training, among other topics.

Derek Hoeferlin and Kotchakorn Voraakhom hosted an interactive panel and workshop on global landscape architecture challenges in the Mekong, Mississippi, and Rhine river basins on April 3.

Kéré, the first African architect to win the Pritzker Prize, delivered the keynote lecture for the ACSA’s 111th Annual Meeting, hosted by the Sam Fox School, in WashU’s Graham Chapel.

I Am Not Afraid of Power Tools (and Other Affirmations) opened at the Des Lee Gallery on March 31 and featured a variety of work by junior students in the BFA in Studio Art program.

The Sam Fox School installed Sung Ho Kim as the Raymond E. Maritz Professor of Architecture on March 27, 2023. A recording of the presentation is available to view.

The Sam Fox School installed Mónica Rivera, professor and chair of graduate architecture, as the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor on February 28, 2023. A recording is available.

Undergraduate art, architecture, and design students competed in the annual weekend-long design competition with guest reviewer Robert Wilson.

Carmon Colangelo, Amy Hauft, and Provost Beverly Wendland delivered remarks ahead of Hendrix’s talk entitled “Drawn Together.” A recording of the talk is available to view.

Sam Fox School faculty joined designer-in-residence Kotch Voraakhom and other experts at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation for a conversation about the impact of climate change on design & policy.

Visit Us

Follow @samfoxschool on Instagram

Tour our campus

We’re located in an ideal spot on the East End of the Danforth Campus, right across from beautiful Forest Park.

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See why we love St. Louis

St. Louis is a vibrant, exciting place to practice architecture, art, and design.

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Sam Fox School...abroad!

In our study abroad programs, our students take their practice across the globe.

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Get to Know Our Students

Student spotlight

Q & A with Bob Peniel Inapanuri

Bob Peniel Inapanuri reflected on the scope of his practice, thesis project, and time at WashU.

Student spotlight

Q & A with Danielle Ridolfi

Danielle Ridolfi reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Alex Rosborough Davis

Alex Rosborough Davis reflected on the scope of their practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Megan Kenyon

Megan Kenyon reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Seulki Seo

Seulki Seo reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Jamie Lee Harris

Jamie Lee Harris reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Karen Yung

Karen Yung reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Samantha Slone

Samantha Slone reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Allena Marie Brazier

Allena Marie Brazier reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Sharlene Lee

Sharlene Lee reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Bob Inapanuri in his studio next to a balsa wood model

Alex Rosborough Davis standing in front of building holding a flag

Megan Kenyon looking at her art in her studio

Seulki Seo standing in front of video projection of art

Jamie Lee Harris sitting in from of a painting of a woman in a purple dress

Karen Yung sitting in an armchair in her studio

Bob Peniel Inapanuri reflected on the scope of his practice, thesis project, and time at WashU.

Danielle Ridolfi reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Alex Rosborough Davis reflected on the scope of their practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Megan Kenyon reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Seulki Seo reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Jamie Lee Harris reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Karen Yung reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Samantha Slone reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Allena Marie Brazier reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Sharlene Lee reflected on the scope of her practice, time at WashU, and thesis project leading up to the MFA in Visual Art thesis exhibition.

Large group of about 17 happy students seated/standing for a portrait outside.

Join a Student Group

Students have numerous opportunities to make their mark on campus—including through student groups and student chapters of professional organizations based out of the Sam Fox School.

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Take a Fox Fridays Workshop

Fox Fridays is a weekly, no-stress workshop series where students from across campus can learn new tools, techniques, and processes.

Fox Fridays Workshop Series

Person points a handheld 3D scanner at another's head, creating a heatmap image of the head on the device's screen.

Oct 6, 1 – 3:50pm • Caleres Fabrication Studio, Weil Hall

Fox Fridays: From 3D Scanning to 3D Printing

Oct 13, 1 – 3:50pm • Nancy Spirtas Kranzberg Studio for the Illustrated Book, Bixby Hall

Fox Fridays: Let’s Print a Zine! Collaboration Through Letterpress

Oct 20, 9am – 12pm • Steinberg 213

Fox Fridays: Build a Personal Portfolio with FIGMA: No Coding Required!

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Upcoming Events

A photograph of people standing in groups and sitting in a gallery space with a colorful artwork hanging above

Sep 28, 5:30 – 7:30pm • Kemper Art Museum

Art & Wine! The Graduate Center Night at Kemper Art Museum

WashU grad students are invited to join us for happy hour at the Museum! FREE food and drinks, and live music by the Daniel Herrera Trio. Explore the galleries and view artworks in the permanent collection and the exhibition Adam Pendleton: To Divide By. Learn about connecting with your campus art museum through events, paid internships, and research opportunities.

Bring your ID for 21+ drinks.

This event is limited to Washington University graduate students.

Learn More