Jeffrey Ward, dean of the College of Fine Arts, speaks to students and faculty April 20 about building a university presence in downtown Brownsville. Ward said university officials are talking about buying a building downtown to use for the School of Art and Design. The meeting took place in Texas Southmost College’s Rusteberg Hall, where art students and faculty have complained about conditions, such as rats, poor plumbing and roof leaks. Natalie Lapsley/THE RIDER PHOTOS
UTRGV in talks with property owner for art space
UTRGV is in talks with a local property owner to buy a building in downtown Brownsville for the School of Art and Design, university officials say.
Jeffrey Ward, dean of the College of Fine Arts, and Ed Pogue, School of Art and Design director, met with about 50 students and faculty members on April 20 in Rusteberg Hall on the Brownsville campus.
“We have a vision for us to have a, basically, a College of Fine Arts Campus downtown and the first step will be in visual art,” he said. “So, yesterday [we] were able to tour a space in downtown Brownsville. … I think it’s amazing. … It’s an empty building for us to fill.”
The seller is offering the property at a price the university can afford, Ward said, but first the University of Texas System Board of Regents has to approve the purchase.
“[The board has] a standing meeting in August, and we feel pretty confident we’ll get that on the agenda,” he told students and faculty during the meeting. “There is an opportunity, because of you, that maybe we could get on an earlier agenda.”
At 50,000 square feet, the three-story building is at least two times the size of Rusteberg Hall, a building that UTRGV leases from Texas Southmost College and houses art classes on the Brownsville campus.
The first and third floors of the downtown building are big spaces with high ceilings, and the first floor also boasts large picture windows, which Ward believes would be a good spot for a gallery.
Pogue said the university is working on providing a computer lab with two new photography scanners, a 3D printer and other equipment.
Ward added that the department heads in the School of Art and Design meet with Pogue once a month to discuss equipment and furniture for workspaces. He said any new furniture they purchase for the fall can be transferred to a future space.
On the topic of course selection, Pogue said the university is looking for more faculty to teach graphic design classes.
“We can go more online,” Pogue said. “But, I think, my perspective from speaking to students is you prefer either hybrid or a more traditional face-to-face relationship with your faculty. I’ve got a lot of gray hair. I’m old school, so I prefer to teach that way … not totally online. So those are some things we’re looking at.”
Ward also addressed parking and transportation, saying there is a “preliminary” plan to invest in electric vans that would constantly go back and forth between the Brownsville campus and a prospective downtown campus.
“It’s about a mile, I think, from here if you were to walk, which, where I did my graduate work, is less than what I had to walk when I was in school,” he said. “So, if you’re a walker or a biker, there’s those opportunities as well.”
Studio art junior Yari Perez asked where different art equipment would go in the new building.
Ward replied if the university buys the building, it would be able to plan the infrastructure and space around the needs of the coursework.
Stephen Hawks, a lecturer in the School of Art and Design, added that certain equipment that requires special ventilation would likely be on the first floor. Pogue and Ward agreed.
Briza Vega-Benavides, a visual communication design freshman, asked whether UTRGV would face the same limitations regarding renovation and upkeep as it does under its current lease agreement with Texas Southmost College.
“How was the lease set up that you couldn’t get a pest control and will that happen in the next building?” Vega-Benavides asked in reference to the rodent infestation that many students brought to the university’s attention.
Ward replied that, as landlord, it was TSC’s responsibility to deal with infestations and renovations but if UTRGV buys the building downtown, it would be able to address any issues directly.
After the College of Fine Arts’ monthly town hall meeting last Wednesday in the studio theater on the Edinburg campus, Ward gave The Rider an update about the ongoing issues with Rusteberg Hall.
“So the most recent identification of issues, those have been communicated [to TSC],” Ward said. “And I know that they’re being addressed. … I don’t know of any current, you know, if we had a sighting of rodents or, you know, concerns right at this moment. But that’s an ongoing conversation. … It’s kind of, like, OK, we have this problem. They address it and that’s going back and forth. And that’s going to be the relationship as long as we’re in Rusteberg.”
On April 24, The Rider filed public information requests to view the lease agreement between UTRGV and TSC. The Texas Public Information Act requires that governmental bodies “promptly produce” the requested records unless, within 10 days, they have sought an Attorney General’s opinion. If governmental bodies deny any or all of this request, it has to cite each specific exemption it feels justifies the refusal to release the information.
The Rider also reached out to TSC for an update on the issues brought up about Rusteberg Hall.
Last Tuesday, TSC Chief of Staff Stella Garcia told The Rider, “I have forwarded your message. I haven’t heard back from anyone. But we have received your message. … Your request for comments, I need to push that up to our VP of finance to see what they were going to do on that one. … We’re also talking to UTRGV reps on the facility side as well. So, I think we’re just, you know, want to make sure we don’t step on anybody’s toes.”
There are no College of Fine Arts town halls scheduled until next academic year.
–Omar E. Zapata, The Rider Arts and Entertainment editor, contributed to this report.
