Room for Creativity: Third in a Series: Visual art students, faculty raise concerns 

University officials provide update on prospective facility

Last Thursday, over 100 students and faculty from the School of Art and Design met in the Edinburg Visual Arts Building to hear updates on projects, including a proposal for a new building in Brownsville.

In an interview last Tuesday, Dean of the College of Fine Arts Jeffrey Ward told The Rider he sent the proposal to UTRGV central administrators on Sept. 18. 

The proposal, which outlines possible new programs, building specifications and requests for new faculty and staff lines, was composed following surveys and conversations with faculty, students and area high schools.

Some of the programs poised for expansion or creation include painting, printmaking, ceramics, visual communication design and metals. Ward said another goal is to offer foundational courses, such as drawing and art history, in Brownsville.

“[Programming] really dictates what the space needs to look like,” he said during the interview. “What are the specifications for the spaces for those programs? So, square footage, major equipment [and], especially, ventilation that those programs would need to be successful.”

The 70,000-square-foot Visual Arts Building in Edinburg, a former Walmart, served as a model for planning the spaces needed, according to Ward.

He said one goal is to offer as much of the visual art curriculum in Brownsville as possible.

During Thursday’s town hall in the Edinburg Visual Arts Building, Donald J. Lyles, an associate art professor, asked Ward what would happen if the University of Texas System Board of Regents rejected the proposal.

Ward replied that the contingency is a STEAM building that would house science, technology, engineering, art and math courses. Monies to build a STEAM facility would come from the Permanent University Fund, however, Ward said the new art building is more likely because of the support it has from the campus community.

Art senior Amanda Montelongo raised a concern about security in the Edinburg Visual Arts Building.

“Unfortunately, last Wednesday, here in the parking lot, I came out of my class and my window was shattered,” Montelongo said. “So, I informed University [Police] and they told me they’d look into it. Called on Monday for an update. … They hadn’t even assigned someone to look into it. They got somebody. They called me later on that day with an update and, unfortunately, they told me that the cameras in the parking lot don’t work.”

 As other students reacted by clamoring among themselves, she added that the broken security cameras raise major security concerns, especially since some classes end as late as 10:20 p.m.

Ward thanked Montelongo for bringing the matter to his attention and added he was not aware the cameras were not working.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” he said. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I had no idea that the cameras weren’t working. This is something we definitely need to take a look at.”

Other students brought up the limited food options inside and near the Visual Arts Building, citing the five vending machines in the building that sometimes are out of order.

Ward replied that one idea is for the university to reach out to its new vendor, Chartwells, about setting up a food option inside the building. In the meantime, he advised students and faculty to place notes on the machines when it is out of order to notify the workers who come to restock the machines.

Another student, fine arts sophomore Mia Nuñez, suggested the university consider partnering with food trucks and placing them in or near the building’s parking lot.

Some voiced concerns regarding travel between campuses, especially with the Valley Metro service that transports students and faculty from the main campus in Edinburg to the Visual Arts Building.

Graphic design junior Julie Castillo said she takes a bus from the main campus in Brownsville to the one in Edinburg, then catches the Valley Metro to the art building four days a week.

“There’s a lot of problems with the [Valley] Metro,” Castillo said. “… There’s not enough space on the Metro and, also, the, like, time and stuff is, like, off. … I’d come over here and [when heading back] I would have to meet, like, the connector and I would, like, miss the connector by 10 minutes. … I had to wait, like, an hour for the next connector.”

She suggested the university contract two buses going back and forth constantly to double arrival and departure times, a proposal Ward agreed might be a solution.

During Ward’s interview, The Rider asked if any improvements have been made to Rusteberg Hall, a building UTRGV pays $292,416 a year to lease from Texas Southmost College to house visual art classes in Brownsville, according to the third amendment to the space lease agreement between the two entities.

“I would characterize that as more of maintenance rather than improvements,” Ward replied. “I guess you could say it’s kind of an as-needed basis. … When we have issues, we report them and … our Facilities folks speak with their counterparts at TSC and they come up with [a] solution.

“So, I think communication is good between the two parties.”

Ward said the building proposal  “is a huge step forward in providing safe and appropriate facilities” for the School of Art and Design.

“Fine arts is similar to the sciences in that, you know, they have lab space that have to have certain specifications,” he said. “… I’ve been so grateful to the university and the leadership of the university to recognize that and find solutions so that we can provide the best education for our students and the best venues for the people of the [Rio Grande] Valley to come and be a part of what we do.”