Students react to Sarofim

By Charlie Cruz     3/4/25 11:08pm

For years, art students say they’ve worked within the constraints of the aging Sewall Hall and the “insufficient,” inaccessible Hamman Hall. But with the 80,000 square-foot Sarofim Hall set to open next semester, students are preparing to transition into a purpose-built space that finally feels like home.  

Artie Throop, a Sid Richardson College senior studying studio art, said the move into Sarofim Hall is significant — but also long overdue.  

“[Current seniors] were basically the guinea pigs for the new art major,” Throop said. Over the past few years, the visual and dramatic arts department has undergone a drastic restructuring  — merging film, photography and studio art into a single major. The change allowed for more interdisciplinary approaches, but it also required students to adjust, Throop said.  

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“I’m still on the old VADA requirements, but the new major gives students more flexibility,” Throop said. “Now, you don’t have to choose between film, photography and studio art. You can merge them. I’ve even started incorporating photography into my work, which I probably wouldn’t have explored otherwise.”  

While the construction of Sarofim Hall represents a step forward, Throop said that Rice has historically not prioritized investments in the arts.

“When I first came to Rice, I was told that if I wanted to study art, I should have gone to a liberal arts college,” Throop said. “We’re definitely not as supported as engineering majors or STEM majors in general. We just sort of do what we can.”

Stella Shrinsky-de Armas, a McMurtry College freshman and visual arts major, said that Sarofim Hall’s construction sends a message about the university’s changing priorities.

“It shows that art is wanted and valued here,” Shrinsky-de Armas said. “It tells the rest of Rice that this is not just a self-contained major, but a real part of campus culture.”

Despite new tenure-track hires and curriculum changes in the department, students noted how little buzz Sarofim Hall received compared to other Rice construction projects, like the O’Connor building.

“The art major was changing, and nobody was talking about it. Meanwhile, everyone knew about O’Connor,” Throop said. “Most students don’t go near Moody unless they have a class there … If you’re not already in the arts, you’re not seeing the construction every day.”  

Among non-art majors, awareness of the new building stayed low.  

“I had no idea the art department was moving,” said Lucas Dovalina, a McMurtry mechanical engineering senior. “I think Rice does a fine job making information public, but if you’re not already in that world, it’s easy to miss.”  

Caroline Pollan, a Duncan sophomore studying visual art and biosciences, said the move is exciting but also an adjustment.  

“Sewall Hall wasn’t built for art students,” Pollan said. “It was never meant to house exhibitions or provide proper studio space, which is why so many of us had to split between Sewall and the PCF tents.”  

Shrinsky-de Armas echoed these concerns, saying that space constraints in Sewall have directly impacted students’ ability to work.

“In intermediate painting, you’re encouraged to go big with canvases, but there’s barely enough space for that,” Shrinsky-de Armas said. “We have to rearrange desks constantly. Sometimes, you have to go to another room to prep materials — if it’s even available. It’s a space issue that’s always been there.”

Throop said Sewall was a place filled with history, where students could see the remnants of past generations of artists.  

“I love that you can see paint splatters on the floors from past students,” Throop said. “There’s something about working in a space where you know art has been made for years.”  

While Sarofim Hall will have larger, better-equipped studios, Throop said the transition won’t be seamless.  

“It’s going to feel sterile at first,” Throop said. “It’s up to the next generation of students to bring it to life — to make it messy, to make it theirs.”  

Despite concerns, students recognize Sarofim Hall’s potential to reshape the arts at Rice.  

Musab Salah, a Will Rice College junior and architecture and arts student, says the new building is part of a larger, newer vision for humanities at Rice.  

“This could be the start of an actual arts district at Rice,” Salah said. “With Moody and the opera house next door, we have a chance to create something bigger — a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration.

“This investment signals that Rice sees the arts as integral to its academic environment,” Salah continued. “But at the end of the day, art students still have to carve out a place for themselves in a university that has historically prioritized STEM.” 

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