“A Third Space: Making Place” Art Exhibit in Carrier Library’s Updike Gallery

Posted August 31, 2026 in Uncategorized

Discover work by JMU architectural design students at “A Third Space: Making Place,” an exhibit in the new Updike Gallery, on the second floor of Carrier Library.

Ten JMU architectural design students participated in the American Institute of Architects Virginia Prize Challenge in February 2026 — an annual design charrette engaging students across the Commonwealth. Launched in 1980, the competition promotes collaboration between the profession, students, and faculty in Virginia.

JMU had the honor of developing the competition brief: Third Space: Making Place in Bridgewater, VA.

A Third Space is where community happens — part public living room, part creative commons, part everyday hangout. Unlike formal civic buildings, these are welcoming, flexible, low-threshold environments where people
linger, work, create, perform, and simply be.

Bridgewater is a compact town nestled within a bend of the North River. Like many Shenandoah Valley towns, its growth has followed a more linear pattern shaped by auto traffic, making it difficult to form a true town center. Students were asked to imagine a central space that brings people together, supports creative activity, and strengthens the rhythms of everyday life — a place the community can claim, adapt, and return to.

Students spent a weekend researching, developing, and designing their responses. The resulting work addressed not only the project brief but demonstrated careful attention to Bridgewater’s particular conditions, reflecting our pedagogical commitment to experimentation and inquiry.