The Alex & Ani Hall Art Center @ RI College was created to foster innovation and education in ceramics, digital media design, graphic design, metalsmithing and jewelry, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. The $17 million, state-of-the-art facility was partially funded by a $1 million donation from Alex and Ani.
The previous RIC art facility dated back to 1958 and lacked the space to accommodate the many specialized areas of study. The building was a series of small rooms connected to a hallway. For lack of space, some of the art programs had to be housed in other buildings on campus.
In creating the architectural design for the new building, the biggest challenge was making sure that all of the specialized requirements of each art program was met within a limited budget," said David Finney of Design Partnership of Cambridge in Mass.
A total of 98 suites of spaces, sized for different functions, were designed to span two floors. Some of the workspaces are very tall loft-like areas for students who work with large paintings and steel sculptures. These spaces are able to accommodate large-scale welding, cutting and lifting equipment. Smaller suites are designed to house smaller equipment, such as magnifiers for jewelry making.
Reconstruction of the Alex and Ani Hall is a two-phase project. Work on phase one of the project began in April 2012. In the second phase, scheduled for completion in March of 2014, the center will feature:
- Digital media studios and photography workspaces on the second floor, along with a student lounge/critique space where students from all of the various art programs may pin up their work and give presentations.
- A lecture hall on the first floor, along with a large lounge and gathering space, with a 10-foot pivoting panel door that can be used to display art.
- Both floors will gain eight more office spaces (a total of 16 in the building).