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©2025 Unearthed Practice
Creating Waves— The Architecture of James H. Fox
University of Oklahoma, Christopher C. Gibbs of Architecture, Gould Hall— March 31 - May 11
Curator:
Joseph Stiles
Faculty Advisor:
Christopher Loofs
Exhibition Support: Fadi Kandalaft, Jerry Puckett, Stephanie Pilat, Angela Person
Installation Team: Jerry Puckett, Matt Reed, Talor Young, Scott Stiles, Shawn Stiles
Creating Waves: The Architecture of James H. Fox, is an
exhibition that brings to light the rich legacy of an architect who
believed deeply in the expressive power of structure, place, and
personal connection.
Curated by Fox’s grandson, Joseph Stiles—a fifth-year architecture
student at the University of Oklahoma—the exhibition is both a
professional retrospective and a deeply personal tribute. Stiles was
entrusted with stewarding the Fox archives in 2020, and this exhibition
reflects years of care, study, and admiration.
As both architect and grandson, the Creating Waves curator
Joseph Stiles brings a unique lens to this exhibition. His passion for
architecture and deep admiration for his grandfather’s legacy are woven
into every detail—from the curatorial layout to the selected materials
that reflect Fox’s belief in site-specific, structurally expressive
design. After the exhibition, Stiles plans to gift the Fox Archive
to the University of Oklahoma’s American School Archive, which is part
of OU Libraries’ Special Collections.
A Life in Architecture, Rooted in Structure
James H. Fox (1939–2017) earned his Master of Architecture at the
University of Oklahoma, where he studied under Herb Greene, Dean
Vollendorf, and other figures of the American School who helped shape
his thinking. From early projects like his OU master’s thesis, which
explored tactile design for the visually impaired, to his bold
residential and community projects across western North Carolina, Fox
remained committed to architecture that responded to people, place, and
process.
Fox believed that architecture begins and ends with structure—not
just as a technical element, but as the soul of design. This belief
informed everything from his “Tangible Painting,” which allowed the
visually impaired to feel design, to his telephone pole-inspired studies of structural frames that would shape many of his future works.
The exhibition is made possible with support from the American School
Strategic Priorities Fund, which continues to uplift and preserve the
legacy of visionary architects like James H. Fox. Gibbs College is
especially grateful to Sherry Faust for her leadership in developing the
American School Strategic Priorities Fund and for her generous planned gift to protect and promote the legacy of the American School.