New arts building: who dis?

The College of Fine Arts town hall meeting shared updates on the long-anticipated Brownsville Visual Arts Complex, scheduled to open in two phases: December 2025 and Spring 2026.

Last Thursday, the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the total project cost of $39 million and the design development plans. 

The town hall took place Wednesday in the Music, Science and Learning Center on the Brownsville campus.

College of Fine Arts Dean Jeffrery Ward said during a presentation that they collaborated with Alamo Architects to design the school in a way that was authentic to the Brownsville campus aesthetic and “using some of those architectural elements, such as arches, [and] to have seating and VOLT stops.”

Ward revealed the namesake for the new building.

“We have landed on the acronym because [BVACX], you know, it wouldn’t be UTRGV if we didn’t have some obscure acronym to name our buildings,” he said.

BVACX will be located in the old R. Longoria Elementary School.

“It is about a half-mile from the Student Union,” Ward said. “We are planning to have a VOLT stop as well as … a large parking lot that’s about a block away from the campus.”

The original plans of finding a building downtown to renovate had many logistical issues. 

“We had so many concerns about the cost, but also about the parking situation and distance from campus,” Ward said.

Renovating the old elementary school provided better opportunities to create a state-of-the-art arts facility. 

He also added that he hopes the new gallery space will become a staple in the community.

“It’s really important to us … to have it be a space that the public feels very well in and so, we’re already thinking about some outreach programs that we’re able to provide the community,” Ward said. 

The dean said he would rather see all the studio spaces be fully outfitted and invest the budget in those rather than a general classroom building and not skimp out on important equipment like a ventilation system.

The project is in the final stages of approval with enrollment projected to commence in Spring 2026, which the dean admitted was “pretty ambitious.”

The dean added that he would not be surprised if the timeline gets moved back and instead enrollment would open in Fall 2026.

He also addressed lease concerns at Texas Southmost College and said “if we have to stay in Rusteburg [Hall] for another semester, it wouldn’t be a lease issue. Of course, it’s going to continually be a maintenance issue and an issue of not being an appropriate facility for what we need.”

During the meeting, photography Assistant Professor Romeo Di Loreto asked on behalf of students about dining options.

“[We are] looking at the food options, similar to what’s in Edinburg,” replied Ed Pogue, director of the School of Art and Design. “It’s not the best but, hopefully, that would be some food options.”

Pogue added that BVACX will not be far from campus, offering economic options for students.

Visual communication design freshman Jon Delacruz asked about the safety precautions considered for the new building, such as speed bumps.

Ward said the roads were already equipped with such features.

“That’s one of the issues with Rusteburg,” Pogue added. “[We were] grandfathered in, meaning it does not have to meet many of the standards that in this new construction we must meet. So there will be [American Disabilities Act] compliance … there will be security cameras … in a few of the studios, primarily sculpture metals in the wood shop.”

He added that cameras will be set up throughout the new school with lights throughout the pathways.

“All the ventilation system will be to code,” Pogue said. “That includes all of the laboratories. … So, in relationship with Rusteburg as far as safety for the students and working in labs, it’s gonna be much more safe.”