Thomas Grooms '66: "Art and Architecture in a Democracy"
April 2, 2018
On April 5, 2018, DePauw’s Department of Art and Art History will host visiting scholar and DePauw alum Thomas Grooms '66, who will give a public lecture, Art and Architecture in a Democracy. Grooms, a renowned public servant and advocate of art and architecture, will present a contextual history of federal art and architecture, provide specific information on the Art in Architecture program and the selection process, and show diverse examples of recent commissions in their architectural setting.
Thomas Grooms is the former director of Design Excellence and the Arts at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)—the federal civilian government landlord. As director of Design Excellence, he was responsible for the selection of the architect and engineering teams that design federal buildings and the development and approval of the designs. He also managed the agency’s Art in Architecture program to commission American artists to create permanent installations of contemporary art for federal buildings. As custodian of GSA’s Fine Arts Collection, he oversaw the safety, preservation, and accessibility of more than 23,000 works dating from 1850 to the present.
Prior to coming to GSA, Grooms managed the Federal Design Improvement Program at the National Endowment for the Arts and the quadrennial Presidential Design Awards. It was during this period that he helped GSA establish the national award-winning GSA Design Excellence program, which he later directed.
Grooms is the author of two books: The Majesty of Capitol Hill and the World War II Memorial, Washington, DC—its architecture and art. He also has written and co-produced numerous short films on federal architecture and art, including “Architecture & Democracy” and “Of Our Time: Changing the Course of Federal Architecture.”
In addition to a BA in political science from DePauw University, he holds a BFA in environmental design from Parsons School of Design, and a JD from the Georgetown University Law School.
This event is made possible by the Department of Art and Art History Carol Bowers Norris Endowed Artists/Speakers Series Fund and the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement.
Art and Architecture in a Democracy
A Public Lecture by Thomas Grooms
Thursday, April 5, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Peeler Auditorium
Reception immediately following in Peeler lobby