Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series detailing concerns surrounding the Studio Arts Building.
When it rains, it pours — and in the Studio Arts Building, it often pours straight through the 90-year-old ceiling’s system of tributaries that drip uncomfortably close to students’ canvases and paints.
They are tired of it. And the mold. And the flaking lead paint. And the floor drains that overflow. And the window that refuses to lock, even when suspicious-looking people appear outside at night.
As Louisiana lawmakers begin a new legislative session this week, University art students hope they can convince legislators to approve the $15 million needed to renovate the Studio Arts Building. The University already has a set of blueprints ready to go, but they cannot be implemented until the state legislature allocates renovation funds in its capital outlay budget.
“It’s actually been considered [in the legislature] at least for the past 13 years, if not longer,” said Ellen Farrar, painting and drawing senior. “Every time it comes up, they shoot it down. The UREC’s getting a lazy river and the stadium’s getting renovated, and this building is crumbling.”
Farrar and other students are organizing protests to draw attention to the building’s poor condition and the urgent need for renovation. An on-campus protest is planned to take place at 12:30 p.m. on April 3 in the Quad and another at the state Capitol will be at 9 a.m. on April 4.
The building, which has never been completely renovated, presents students and instructors with a challenging environment they fear could have implications for their health. However, the state fire marshal’s office, Facility Services and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety maintain the building is safe.
Students are also concerned about the building’s effect on the quality and future of their program.
“It’s not just about us,” Farrar said. “It’s about the people who are following us. … It’s not just about us in the here and now trying to get work done.”
Current students’ academics are negatively affected. Farrar said during the summer, the building sometimes gets so hot that people skip class.
Prospective students may be deterred by the unsightly facilities they would have to use. Farrar said a group of ambassadors was once instructed not to tour high school students through the building because it’s in such bad shape.
Despite poor building conditions, the School of Art’s graduate ceramics program ranks ninth in the country. The decaying Studio Arts Building simply does not reflect the high quality of students’ work and the University’s art programs, Farrar said.
College of Art and Design Dean Alkis Tsolakis shares that feeling.
“We are in a competitive world, so we want to attract the best and keep the best,” he said.
Tsolakis said even though the University’s art program is well-ranked, students may instead choose to study at places such as the University of Georgia, which has an updated art facility.
“Even if there aren’t actually rats in your office … [the Studio Arts Building] is a depressing place to go to,” he said.
Tsolakis said state legislators have visited the building before. Hopefully, he said, they understand the urgency of the situation and that the renovation cannot be put off any longer.
Tsolakis pointed out that culture — endeavors like art, music and tourism — makes up the third-largest industry in the state. Louisianans care about the arts, he said, and the state’s flagship university deserves a flagship Studio Arts Building.
Renovation would not only make the building compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards and replace outdated mechanical equipment, but it would also allow it to serve as a “connector between areas of campus,” Tsolakis said. The blueprints, which were drawn about a year ago, create a passage that would allow people to easily cross from South Campus Drive to the Quad by walking through the center of the building.
Kelli Scott Kelley, associate professor of painting and drawing, said art may seem unimportant during tight budget times, but people should realize it enriches lives, communities and even economies. When the Shaw Center for the Arts was built in downtown Baton Rouge in 2005, it became the catalyst for downtown revitalization, she said.
A renovated Studio Arts Building at the University could have similar effects.
“If this renovation happens, this could be a gemstone for the University that would draw students,” Kelley said. “I believe students expect the arts to be part of a place they live because it makes people’s lives richer. It could be something that actually brings attention to the University and makes our student body grow and, in the end, brings funding to the University.”
“If this renovation happens, this could be a gemstone for the University that would draw students.”
This is the third in a three-part series detailing concerns surrounding the Studio Arts Building.