The School of Architecture & Urban Planning (SARUP) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) has dedicated its existing art gallery to James Shields, FAIA, Design Principal at HGA and Associate Professor at SARUP, for his commitment to education, mentorship, and design excellence.
Sponsored by HGA, the gallery will include improved lighting, layouts, equipment, and will celebrate Shields’ impact with the honorary title “Jim Shields Gallery of Architecture and Urbanism sponsored by HGA.” Through HGA’s multi-year commitment to SARUP, students will continue to learn and be inspired by the gallery space for years to come.
“It is impossible to overstate Jim’s impact to the built environment in Wisconsin and beyond,” said Scott Lindvall, AIA, NCARB, Chief Operating Officer at HGA. “He was a founding member of HGA’s Milwaukee office in 1988, where his work and leadership helped it grow to more than 200 people. Jim’s designs include the places we live, worship, learn, work, heal, and wonder. Although they are all unique in use and aesthetic, the continuity in all of them is the delightful interaction of materials used to construct the space and the way they interact with their surroundings, whether that is a Great Lake, a river, a forest, a field, or a dense city block. Equally impressive to Jim’s accomplishments in practice is his role as an educator and mentor at UWM SARUP. While the spaces Jim designed will serve their occupants for decades, the lessons he has shared will continue to influence generations of architects and designers to come.”
Shields founded the art gallery in 1994 and served as Curator/Coordinator for 19 years to support the architectural culture of the Upper Midwest. His annual “Off the Boards” program highlighted the best local design over the past year, with students and professionals sharing design insight at the opening reception.
“Jim has taught students who now work and lead in many of our region’s most influential firms,” said incoming Interim Dean Mo Zell. “His impact is far-reaching. We’re immensely appreciative to HGA for honoring Jim through this special gallery title, and grateful for HGA’s ongoing support of this valuable resource for our students and the community.”
In Conversation . . .
For insight on Shields’ career, read Up Close with James Shields.