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Activating Urban Space

"Activating Urban Space for Health and Movement"

2025 WVU Art in the Libraries Faculty/Staff Exhibit Awardee:
Judith Wasserman
WVU Professor of Landscape Architecture
Fall 2025 - Spring 2026
WVU Downtown Library, Room 1020

In today’s world of sedentary work and study, movement is more important than ever for both our bodies and our minds. This upcoming exhibit will explore how public space can be a catalyst for physical wellbeing, creativity, and joy.

Featuring a series of photo-based display panels, the exhibit will showcase images of dance and movement in public spaces, captured and curated to highlight the often-overlooked role of urban design in supporting health. Each board will include reflections on how movement—when thoughtfully integrated into public life—can reduce stress, spark joy, and foster community.

Complementing the photography will be a set of movement instructions designed to promote wellness through simple, everyday physical activity. Visitors will be invited to engage with these prompts in and around the library, reimagining familiar spaces as opportunities for stretching, stepping, and breathing.

“Activating Urban Space for Health and Movement” invites reflection and action, centering movement as a vital part of how we live, learn, and thrive.