Curating art, coffee: Moody Center for the Arts opens new cafe
A new cafe on campus has joined Coffeehouse as a caffeinated study spot. The Moody Center for the Arts opened a new cafe on Friday, according to Alison Weaver, executive director of the Moody Center.
“The cafe, like the Moody, is a creative, open space, available to everyone,” Weaver said.
The cafe is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., similar to the Moody Center’s public hours. The cafe does not currently accept Tetra, but is actively working with Housing and Dining to implement the payment system, according to Weaver.
Salento, which has locations in Rice Village and Brochstein Pavilion, operates the cafe, according to Weaver. The cafe offers an assortment of dishes including a smoked salmon wrap and a kale and cabbage salad and features a laptop bar with wifi, Weaver said. There is seating inside the cafe area, outside on the lantern terrace and in the second floor lounge. Food and drink are allowed throughout the building, except in the Brown Foundation Gallery.
According to Weaver, the most unique element of the cafe is the art in the space.
The cafe has two acrylic panels by American artist Gordon Terry, Weaver said. The first panel, “Objects of Infinite Scrutiny, Fetishization, and Wonder,” is designed to show living organisms, while the second, “Anatomy of a Phenomenon,” reflects the relationship between “things seen and unseen.”
Jones College freshman Alex Deyanov said a cafe at Moody is an excellent idea.
“Moody is somewhat removed from the rest of campus, so having a cafe there provides incentive to stay and do my work,” Deyanov said. “While I enjoy the art and aesthetic of the place immensely, I rarely stay there long.”
Grace Tan, a Brown College freshman, said she didn’t know that the Moody Center had food.
“I think I’d only go there if I was in the area,” Tan said. “The Moody Center does look like a good place to study though.”
Sid Richardson College senior Luis Zelaya, who works at Coffeehouse, said he was not aware there was a cafe.
“I mean, I’m all in on there being multiple places to get coffee,” Zelaya said. I’ve been so-so on the Moody Center as a whole because I think it’s located in an inconvenient area, but I think pairing art and coffee has some merit to it. They both have a lot of love and a lot of care put into them. In a way, it’s similar to Coffeehouse.”
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice accepts 13% of record-setting ED applications
Rice accepted 13.2% of Early Decision applicants in its first round of admissions for the class of 2029, said Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice president for enrollment. With 2,970 total applicants, this year saw yet another record-high; a 3% increase from last year’s previous high of 2,886. An additional 100 students gained admission through the Questbridge National College Match program, an uptick from last year’s 77.
Students reject divestment proposals
The student body voted to pass S.REF 01, which asks the Rice Management Company to disclose all of its holdings investments, but rejected the remaining divestment proposals. While every ballot measure gained a majority of votes in favor, the remaining three did not achieve the two-thirds majority required to pass.
Student organizations form coalition to support SA referenda
Four Student Association referenda open for the general student body vote today at noon. The referenda call for disclosure of Rice Management Company holdings and divestment from entities that profit off the Israel-Hamas war. The referenda also ask that Rice release a statement condemning genocide and materially support anti-colonial scholarship. Voting will close Dec. 11 at noon and the results will be published the next day. For the referenda to pass, a two-thirds majority with a 20% student body turnout is needed.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.