Brick Biographies

Every brick has a story. Some have witnessed decades of students rushing to class, others have felt the weight of graduation caps landing. For years, the personalized bricks on the University of Montana’s Oval served as small but sturdy tributes, etched with names, messages, and memories. Now, as these bricks are starting to be worn away, are their stories shifting too? This ethnographic study follows the journey of these commemorative bricks from 1993 and 2004, exploring their significance to the individuals who purchased them and the community that walked across them daily. Through interviews, archival research, and a bit of brick-based nostalgia, this project uncovers the emotional and cultural weight carried by these unassuming and seemingly mundane chunks of clay. What does it mean for a place of memory to be worn away through its intended use? How do we mark permanence in a place that is always in motion? How do alumni, students, and faculty feel about this transition?