The School of Architecture & Urban Planning (SARUP) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has dedicated its existing art gallery for a limited run as the “Jim Shields Gallery of Architecture and Urbanism sponsored by HGA,” honoring James Shields, FAIA, for his life-long commitment to education and community-focused architecture. The galley continues the mission of engaging students and practitioners in creative dialogue established by Shields as founding Curator/Coordinator.
Shields is responsible for some of Wisconsin’s most iconic architecture as a Design Principal at HGA, including Milwaukee Ballet Baumgartner Center for Dance, Milwaukee Art Museum Expansion, Museum of Wisconsin Art, Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin, and multiple higher education projects throughout the Upper Midwest.
As an Associate Professor at UWM, he has helped nurture the next generation of architects in his graduate design studios with his rigorous—and inspiring—approach to design excellence.
In the following, Shields discusses the gallery, his teaching, and his design practice.
You had a long relationship with the UWM Architecture gallery that is being dedicated to you. Can you describe your involvement?
I founded the gallery in 1994 and served as its Curator/Coordinator for 19 years until 2013. My intention was to help strengthen the architectural culture in the Upper Midwest by featuring the work of its top practitioners, as well as award-winning student work. For example, for years we ran an annual exhibition on Milwaukee architecture called “Off the Boards,” which featured the best design work being done in the community during the last year. We would hold a big opening reception where students and professionals got to meet and talk about the work. I remember those shows and the lively social events that accompanied them fondly.
Does the Gallery continue today?
The gallery does indeed continue today, having moved into a bigger and better space within the School of Architecture at UWM. A young faculty by the name of Alex Timmer has taken over the Curator/Coordinator position with some impressive exhibits. The current show, as of this writing, is “NOW WHAT? Advocacy, Activision and Alliances in American Architecture,” a timely exhibit that shows the broadening of the galleries subject matter in the new and much larger space where lectures and seminars are also being held. I am proud to have been part of founding this institution.
You continue to teach architecture at UWM today. How have your students shaped your perspective?
People who study learning as a discipline have found that teaching someone else how to do something is one of the strongest learning experiences possible (for the teacher). Every time I teach, I am invigorated and learn something new about architecture. One of the courses I teach is the Building Materials and Detailing class, primarily for graduate students. This course requires me to maintain current with new materials and methods in the field and know them well enough to explain them to others. This has greatly enriched the quality of my professional practice over the years.
Can you give a specific example of how teaching has enriched your practice?
For several years I ran a design studio called the “Masonry Studio,” where we had support from the masonry industry in Wisconsin. Near the end of this time I designed the Milwaukee Ballet Baumgartner Center for Dance, an economical yet refined building clad entirely in clay brick using much of what I learned teaching the studio. Recently, this project has received design excellence awards from the American Institute of Architects in Wisconsin, as well as an award for the “Best Clay Brick Building” from the Wisconsin Masonry Alliance.
What advice do you have for your students?
In the Building Materials and Detailing course, I advise my students to choose some material that personally interests them and develop some level of expertise by continuing their research, reading, and lifelong learning into that material. Be it brick, mass timber, glass, or something new entirely, they will never regret developing some passionate expertise in their chosen field.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Like all of us, I suspect I am looking forward to the return to a more normal and social existence, the sort of which I enjoyed before the pandemic. Some of the museums I have designed in recent years have finally returned to full public access and I look forward to seeing their programming and exhibits this year.
What project do you currently have on your desk that you are excited about?
I am working on a large waterfront development with HGA for the Mandel Group called “Harbor Yards.” This project will be built in Milwaukee’s Harbor District along the shore of the Milwaukee River opposite the Lower Third Ward, and will include several mixed-use apartment buildings, a new office building, a new hotel, as well as a farmer’s market. This work will be connected by a new pedestrian Riverwalk, some new intimate streets, and a riverfront park that will be open and accessible to everyone.
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For more information, visit UWM Dedicates Art Gallery to James Shields.