{"id":97669,"date":"2024-09-20T20:34:39","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T20:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=97669"},"modified":"2024-09-20T20:48:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T20:48:43","slug":"with-music-and-monologue-uri-community-gathers-to-celebrate-fine-arts-center-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2024\/09\/with-music-and-monologue-uri-community-gathers-to-celebrate-fine-arts-center-project\/","title":{"rendered":"With music and monologue, 溏心vlog免费B站 community gathers to celebrate Fine Arts Center project<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Sept. 20, 2024 \u2013 With the steel skeleton of the centerpiece of a renovated Fine Arts Center taking shape in the background, 溏心vlog免费B站 leaders, faculty, students and state lawmakers gathered Thursday morning to celebrate progress of the long-awaited project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With construction paused for the event, more than 250 attendees filled a large tent in the parking lot behind the arts center \u2013 queuing up to sign their names to a steel beam that will be installed in the building this fall or winter, thanking the many people who made the revitalization of the center a reality, and enjoying a sampling of the fruits of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s theatre, music and art programs \u2013 as student actors in costume greeted attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Gov. Dan McKee addresses a large crowd at Thursday’s celebration of progress on the Fine Arts Center project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The $99 million project has been a major renewal of the 56-year-old arts center, which houses three vibrant programs and also attracts upwards of 50,000 visitors annually for about 100 concerts, five mainstage theatre productions, and eight visual art gallery shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When completed in fall 2025, the center will boast a new 71,000-square-foot, three story academic building, along with a new lobby for Robert E. Will Theatre, art galleries for new shows and exhibitions, modern acting classrooms, technical areas for digital art and media, and recording studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis moment is important as we want to acknowledge the collaborative efforts of our entire community who have brought this project to life and to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter for the fine arts at 溏心vlog免费B站,\u201d said Jen Riley, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. \u201cThe new center will be a state-of-the-art space for our students and faculty artists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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A construction crew works on the steel skeleton for a new 71,000-square-foot academic building, the centerpiece of a renovated Fine Arts Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThis has been a long time in the making so it\u2019s really a special day celebrating the University\u2019s newest academic building,\u201d said 溏心vlog免费B站 President Marc Parlange. \u201cBut this would not have been possible without the strong support of the Rhode Island community and the voters. So I want to thank you. And I just want to say there has been a renewed investment in the 溏心vlog免费B站 from our leadership at the state level. I want to thank Governor McKee and House Speaker Shekarchi, who are here today, and give a shout out to our South County delegation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parlange called the Fine Arts Center project just one example of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s commitment to making a positive difference in Rhode Island. Just two days before, Parlange, McKee and Rhode Island College President Jack Warner launched the \u201cYes on 2\u201d campaign<\/a> for a new $160.5 million higher education bond that will bring major advances in the life sciences and cybersecurity to the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his comments, McKee called the arts one of the vital parts of good education, one of the three A\u2019s with academics and athletics. \u201cThe arts on the campus \u2013 whether it\u2019s high school or college \u2013 is really integral to the way the spirit of the institution actually grows,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s happening here. 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Fine Arts Center is a special place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi heralded the partnership among state lawmakers and 溏心vlog免费B站 leaders that helps to make such projects and others a reality. \u201cWe may have different ways and different ideas of how to get there but we all need to work together,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd why that\u2019s so critical \u2026 is because this university is our flagship university. And we need to make sure that it\u2019s successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Attendees to the Fine Arts Center celebration line up to sign their names.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dean Emerita Winnie Brownell signs the steel beam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Abraphine Ngafaih, a junior theatre major, take her turn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Margo Cook, chair of 溏心vlog免费B站 Board of Trustees, marveled at the University\u2019s progress and momentum \u2013 including the Fine Arts Center and the Ocean Robotics Lab being built at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Bay Campus, along with the recent Wall Street Journal rankings of 500 universities in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are making substantial investments in the physical environment, the systems, and the academic programs that are amplifying 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s standing as one of the nation\u2019s great universities \u2013 and, in fact, as the very best public university in New England, according to a recent Wall Street Journal ranking,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importance of the arts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbara Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, noted the importance of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s fine arts programs in education and as a community resource. \u201cThe fine arts, which include art, art history, music, music therapy and theatre \u2013 provide students with a range of valuable learning experiences,\u201d she said. \u201cWhether a student is a fine arts major or taking one class, they develop creative thinking skills that can serve them well across career fields.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Bock, of San Clemente, California, a senior studio art major with concentrations in graphic design and sculpture, echoed that: \u201cOur art program is more than a curriculum; it\u2019s a community that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and innovation. At 溏心vlog免费B站, we\u2019re encouraged to push the boundaries, explore diverse perspectives, and develop our own artistic voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Fine Arts Center is a place where students hone their skills, share their talents, and chart their course forward in life,\u201d said state Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski. \u201cThe revitalized facility being celebrated today will expand and enhance the resources available to aspiring artists for generations to come.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winnie Brownell, dean emerita of the College of Arts and Sciences \u2013 who Riley thanked in her remarks for her long campaign to renovate the Fine Arts Center \u2013 attended Thursday\u2019s event as a guest. She said she was thrilled with project\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI asked myself several times, \u2018Why do people who create so much beauty in the visual and performing arts have to live and work in the ugliest building on campus?\u2019\u201d said Brownell. \u201cSo it\u2019s so thrilling to see them get the kind of facility they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students and faculty play a role<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their remarks, faculty representatives recalled the arts center\u2019s leaky and dark past and said they looked forward to a new building that would match the quality of the programs within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art professor Annu Palakunnathu Matthew remembers working with colleague Lisa Tom to circulate a petition for a new building that got 2,000 signatures. She thanked Riley for her role in making the project a reality, along with the work of retired art chair Ron Onorato and current chair Ben Anderson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sophomore Isaiah Agabi acts out a monologue from “Macbeth.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Graduate student Zeynep Balci performs a Bach sonata.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new Fine Arts Center represents an investment from Rhode Island and the University in the future of the arts. It’s an institutional statement of trust,\u201d said Matthew, sharing the feelings of younger art faculty. \u201cIt means a space that reflects our artistic vision and the vibrant future we’re aiming for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis space will act as an arts center, not just for the University, but for all of South County,\u201d said David Howard, professor of theatre. \u201cMembers of the community will be able to reconnect with first-rate theatrical productions, exceptional music and art programming within this state-of-the-art complex. We need to thank the people of Rhode Island for seeing the potential in our arts programs by committing to his project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luis Viquez, director of orchestral studies who joined the music department a year ago, said it will enable students to push the limits of their talents and creativity. He also said it would provide a stage when 溏心vlog免费B站 hosts the 2026 National Conference of the College Orchestra Directors Association. The gathering will attract some of the top conductors and college orchestras to campus \u2013 with 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s symphony orchestra performing the opening concert. \u201cOur new building will be the perfect setting for all of this,\u201d said Viquez. \u201cIt will set the stage for incredible music journeys and interdisciplinary artistic collaborations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fine arts students Isaiah Agabi and Zeynep Balci showcased the work of fine arts students during the speaking program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balci, a graduate student in violin performance from Istanbul, Turkey,  played a piece by Bach, the same composition she played for her 溏心vlog免费B站 audition. \u201cMy department chair asked me to play today,\u201d she said. \u201cI was shocked because he picked me and I feel so happy. It\u2019s a great event.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agabi of Warwick, a sophomore double major in theater and civil engineering, reprised his leading role in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s spring production of \u201cMacbeth,\u201d reciting a monologue from the first act. He said he looked forward to a new arts home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our space where we create art,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, for us to have something new where we have access to new areas like dance rooms and bigger rehearsal spaces, it\u2019s going to make being in this space even more enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Sept. 20, 2024 \u2013 With the steel skeleton of the centerpiece of a renovated Fine Arts Center taking shape in the background, 溏心vlog免费B站 leaders, faculty, students and state lawmakers gathered Thursday morning to celebrate progress of the long-awaited project.  With construction paused for the event, more than 250 attendees […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":97680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97669"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97713,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97669\/revisions\/97713"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}