Artists to continue “creating magic” in renovated space
Tuesday’s bond referendum will give the URI Fine Arts Center a much-needed upgrade. Photo by James McIntosh.
During Tuesday’s special referendum election, Rhode Island voters approved seven bond questions worth $400 million, related to developing projects throughout the state.
Question One on the ballot grants $107.3 million to Rhode Island College, the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island. With the passing of the bond, URI is now able to resume the renovations on the Fine Arts Center, a long-term project that started in 2018.
David Howard, the theatre department chair and a costume design professor, said that after hearing the results of the election, his emotions were high.
“All of us are very excited about it,” Howard said. “It is a remarkable opportunity for not only each of the departments [music, art and theatre] but I think it’s really important for the University at large to have a state-of-the-art arts center in Southern Rhode Island. We have been looking at this process with the potential of creating something beyond our students, whether it’s the music programs or even the theatre productions we do … it gives us the opportunity to program larger ideas for the community.”
Included in the first round of renovations were renovations to the Robert E. Will Theatre as well as improvements to the building’s internal infrastructure, heating and cooling systems and exterior.
URI’s Executive Director of External Relations and Communications Kelly Mahoney said that URI was fortunate to have support from many Rhode Islanders in this election, especially those who volunteered for Rhode Islanders for Higher Education, the nonprofit organization that led the advocacy campaign to pass the bond.
“We’re so grateful that Rhode Island voters have been really, really supportive of almost every project the university’s ever proposed,” she said. “We never take that support for granted. If you look back at every election, any campaign cycle that we do, we fully invest in an advocacy campaign. We work really hard to both educate voters about what the project is and then try to persuade those voters that they have concerns are on the fence or just aren’t quite sure.”
According to Mahoney, the next phase of renovations will be the removal of the five pods that make up the center of the building, which is estimated to be around 82,000 square feet. This space will be home to brand new design labs, classrooms and exhibition spaces.
She said that it is likely the state will gather the bond funding by early June, depending on the readiness of each project under Question One and the borrowing climate at that time.
“This project, I believe, will finally truly be a reflection of the incredible talent and, again, creativity of the URI community and what it has to offer,” Mahoney said. “Not just its students and faculty, but our community at large.”
Howard said that senior leadership within URI is working closely with faculty and department chairs in the FAC to ensure the learning experience of students is not interrupted by the renovations.
He said that despite the money being granted to the University, there is still a long process of bidding, estimation and red tape to go through to ensure all developments to the FAC are fulfilled.
“Artists are fine, in some ways, with rubble,” he said. “We’re used to creating spaces that have potential, and if the outside looks like it’s going to fall down, we still know that inside we are creating magic. Now this will mirror, in a lot of ways, the things that are happening inside.”