Administration should value Art Barn
The Thresher would have liked to see the Rice administration put more effort into the preservation of the Art Barn on our campus (see story, pg. 1). The building is considered by many to be a historically and artistically significant structure, and we would like Rice to recognize the potential value it could continue to bring to our campus.
The Thresher would have liked to see the Rice administration put more effort into the preservation of the Art Barn on our campus (see story, pg. 1). The building is considered by many to be a historically and artistically significant structure, and we would like Rice to recognize the potential value it could continue to bring to our campus.
If the building is structurally unsound, then we understand that student safety should of course be a priority. We also understand that, if the building does need to be brought up to code, Rice would have to use funds for a renovation that could have otherwise been put towards another project at Rice. However, the Thresher believes that the Visual and Dramatic Arts department, not the arts in general, is in need of attention from the administration and could greatly benefit from new space and materials. The Art Barn, which is near the future location of the Moody Center for the Arts and is important to the Houston arts community, seems like a potentially good fit for additional VADA space. For this reason, we would have liked to see the university invest some time to investigate this option rather than simply announcing that the Barn was going to be deconstructed.
We also acknowledge that the Art Barn is not used for the arts now; the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies occupies the building. However, although the building is not currently an ats building, we would like to have seen Rice recognize the historical notability of the Barn and would have preferred that the administration move to restore its previous function rather than dismiss it as outdated and unneeded.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the Thresher editorial staff. All other opinion pieces represent solely the opinion of the piece’s author.
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