Trent University Archives "documents the modern"
Jodi Aoki and Dr. Bernadine Dodge of the Trent University Archives and authors of the Bauhaus in the New World: Ron Thom at Trent University, have been doing their part to "document the modern".
Ms. Aoki and Ms. Dodge's 32-page booklet highlights Mr. Thom's architectural legacy on the Symons Campus. It includes photographs chosen from among the hundreds that makeup the approximately six-cubic-foot collection housed at Trent. Though Mr. Thom's personal archive is housed at the University of Calgary, the Trent University Archives is home to the papers that pertain to his work on the Symons Campus.
An exhibit created in 2007 posted in the Virtual Lives section of the Archives' Web site, discusses in detail Mr. Thom's role as Master Planning Architect, and the origins of Champlain College, the Chemistry Building, Thomas J. Bata Library and Lady Eaton College. It also highlights many of the photographs and excerpts from documentation held as part of the collection.
"The exhibit is a nice adjunct to actually walking around the buildings," says Ms. Dodge, adding that she thoroughly enjoys the study of modernism. "This is a nice opportunity to showcase the Archives with something I'm really interested in. I think it's incredible that we get to work at such a beautiful place."
"Conserving the modern in Canada" will focus on buildings, structures, districts, and landscapes constructed after 1945. The conference has been organized by Docomomo Canada-Ontario and the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation along with other allied organizations.