Reese Betts - Layered: An Exploration of Memorialization of Read Hall

Layered: An Exploration of Memorialization of Read Hall

Projection and Sculpture Installation

accompanied by Research Archive, Zine, and Virtual Reality Installation

April 10, 2025 at the former site of Read Hall

Layered is a multimedia research project centered around Read Hall, a building on campus at the University of Missouri of historical significance that was demolished in 2022. In its 120 years on campus, Read Hall served as the first women’s dormitory, an influenza hospital, student union, and home to many academic departments and student organizations. The projection component features reanimated still images, from as early as 1903, of historical figures who lived and worked at Read Hall, out of an effort to preserve and share the history of their activism. Stop motion layers of archival documents utilized in the research process, in addition to pixelated designs inspired by knitting patterns, peel back to reveal the historical figures, mirroring the process of discovery that came with researching their lives.

Layered aims to examine alternative forms of memorialization by honoring the legacy of Read Hall through three major elements: a risograph printed zine, a projection mapping installation, and finally, a virtual reality experience. The risograph-printed zine explores safe spaces and women’s experiences on campus through the photovoice method. From that research, five major themes were identified and photographs taken by participants, along with discussion quotes, were included in the publication. The zine was printed using the RISO digital duplicator, a printing method that relies on multiple prints of ink layered on top of one another. The virtual reality portion of this project focuses more on the eras of Read Hall itself: the building as a woman’s dormitory, an influenza clinic, and the period right before demolition. In the virtual reality experience, viewers are able to explore the three different eras while learning information about key moments of that era. The VR component was launched at MU’s Show Me Research Week on Wednesday, April 16.

Artist Statement excerpt written by Ever Cole, Bishop Lamm, and Lani Redecker

Image by Cal Tobias of Vox Magazine

I began this process by researching the origins of the University of Missouri, looking for early female students in the Savitar Yearbook archives and examining newspaper articles prior to the building of Read Hall in 1903 in local newspapers (including the Columbia Missouri Herald, Columbia Daily Tribune, Columbia Missourian, and the Jefferson City Tribune) for stories that contextualize local cultural ideas about women at the turn of the 20th century.

Next I researched the construction of Read Hall via MU Brick & Mortar, as well as early thoughts on the dormitory as it first opened. I continued this process to identify figures who would have been considered trailblazers at their time, scouring through 116 individual archived yearbooks that are each hundreds of pages long. Over this months-long process, I chose to feature 27 people across at least 12 organizations within three time periods.

Reanimated Historical Figures

Early Years (1903-1917)

Mary Elizabeth Lewis Greene - Head of Read Hall and first Dean of Women

Early Residents of Read Hall:

Mary Elizabeth Sears, Calla Varner, Elsie Winship Wadell, Hattie Greensfelder, Laura Coontz, Anna Elizabeth Wright, and Amanda Beaumont

Early Women's Organizations:

Luella Dimmitt Hoffman and Mary L. Leitch

Eva Johnston - Alum, Latin Professor, Dean of Women

Emergency Hospital and Student Union (1918-1948)

Norma Sauer Selbert - Head of Nursing Dept. during Influenza epidemic

Red Cross Auxiliary:

Edith Aultman and Nita Collier

Junior League of Women Voters:

Marjorie L. Harbaugh, Pauline Brannock, and Mary Louise Ramsey

Lucile Bluford - Prominent Female Journalist who was denied entry and eventually won her case against the University

Years Before Demolition (1949-2022)

Cosmopolitan Club:

Shirley Ann Wood and Rajendra N. "Raj" Bery

Legion of Black Collegians:

Jenny Hill, Sandra Rice, Eva M. Whitmire, and Hal Walls

The Triangle Coalition:

Jenny Baker and Michael Hustin

Dr. Luverne Walton - First woman appointed to Central Administration

To read more about these historical figures and organizations, visit the Read Hall Installation Guide, the Research Archive, or the media linked to their name or organization.

Mary Elizabeth Lewis Greene

Representatives of Early Women's Orgs

Norma Sauer Selbert

Jr League of Women Voters Representatives

Representatives of Cosmopolitan Club

Representatives of Triangle Coalition

Early Residents of Read Hall

Eva Johnston

Representatives of Red Cross Auxiliary

Lucile Bluford

Early Members of Legion of Black Collegians

Dr. Luverne Walton

Once I had pulled imagery from the Savitar and from local newspaper articles, I masked out the backgrounds and extended their torsos to give more room for animation by using generative fill in Photoshop. I then animated the figures to blink, nod, sway, and to have a range of expressions from joy to disappointment, using puppet warp in After Effects. I then compiled these animations with stop motion layers I captured and edited of myself tearing copies of archival documents and found objects, with pixelated animations by Sofia Ortega, and Read Hall building models by Lancing Moore.

I created a soundscape that walks through the three time periods, featuring sound effects related to the imagery shown or written about in the peeling archival stop motion, the 1914 hit "I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier," by the Peerless Quartet, and whispers of myself and my team members reading aloud the stories of our 27 historical figures.

While I was doing archival research, creating visuals, and helping to coordinating the team, I was simultaneously constructing 23 wooden window frames, which would later become the canvas for my projection.

The dimensions of these frames were based off the original window frames on the first floor of Read Hall - 21 3'x1' frames, and 2 2'x'1 frames. I constructed these out of 8' furring strips, which I chose for their light weight and affordability.

Once they were dry and cured, I drilled holes for them to attach to the PVC structure, stapled sheer fabric, and covered the seams with lace. 4 of the 23 frames later became structures for the zines to be housed in, within the 2 sets of bay windows.

Vox Magazine Article by Mercy Austin

Why students are using VR, projections to memorialize a demolished women’s dormitoryAfter the University of Missouri historical women's dorm, Read Hall, was demolished in 2022, a group of students and volunteers are bringing the building back to life with projectors, sculpture, art, design and virtual reality to celebrate women's history.

ASH Scholars: Art of Death

"Students on the Art of Death team will examine death, dying and grief within a culture via interdisciplinary research. This interdisciplinary project explores alternative memorials and engages students in the research and artistic creation of site-based memorials using projection mapping, photovoice and virtual reality."

2024-25 ASH Scholars: Art of Death Team Members

Projection, Animation, and VR

Reese Betts, Sofia Ortega, and Lancing Moore

Zine and Writing

Ever Cole, Bishop Lamm, and Lani Redecker

Mentors

Professor Katina Bitsicas, Professor Debora Verniz, Dr. Teti

Volunteers

Conner Spinks (Public Health) and Nora Shih (VR, Arch.)

Sculptures

by Lani Redecker

by Bishop Lamm and Lani Redecker

by Ever Cole

by Bishop Lamm

by Sofia Ortega

Rocking Chair, Mask, and Fist taken by Cal Tobias

Poster

by Lancing Moore

Risograph Zine

by Ever Cole, Bishop Lamm, and Lani Redecker

Utilizing photovoice imagery and writing submitted by members in Fall 2024

An adaptation of Layered: an Exploration of Memorialization of Read Hall was presented at the 2025 Digital Graffiti projection mapping festival in Alys Beach, Florida.

Maneater Article by Vrunda Khairmode