A massive steel staircase, exposed ducts and a naked concrete floor welcome faculty and students to the new home of UVA’s Studio Art program.
The 42,000-square-foot, three-story facility brings together all studio art programs —drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, new media and film, installation and performance art—under one roof for the first time. For more than 30 years, Fayerweather Hall housed the program, but studios and faculty offices were scattered throughout Grounds.
The $25.9 million Ruffin Hall, named in honor of alumnus Peter B. Ruffin and his wife, Adeline, is a project of Schwartz/Silver Architects. Judging from an official tour last week, the resulting building is simple, direct and open.
“The basic concept for the building is a village of workshops,” says Lawrence O. Goedde, who chairs the McIntire Department of Art.
 The lofty, warehouse feel, clean lines and open spaces are intentional, says Lawrence O. Goedde, because they blend for a modernized look at art making. |
Painting and drawing professor Dick Crozier points gratefully to north-facing skylights, high ceilings and windows that bring in natural light, even on rainy days. “This is an extraordinary space. A dream come true,” he says of a building that he remembers was first talked about 34 years ago.
The lofty, warehouse feel, clean lines and open spaces are intentional, says Goedde, because they blend for a modernized look at art making.
“We are not afraid to rough it up,” says an enthusiastic Dean Dass, associate chairman of studio art and professor of printmaking, with a laugh. “We are not the Law School.”
The printmaking studios house a mix of ancient and modern technology. “Fifteenth century and 21st century right next to each other,” says Dass, pointing to an old printing machine standing its ground against an uber-modernized, Mac-run printer.
Three sculpture workshops for wood, metal, clay and plaster occupy the first floor, and each is equipped with a garage-style door with windows. William Bennett, who has been teaching sculpture at UVA since 1979, pointed to the benefit of direct access to the courtyard. “We can take stuff out of the studio environment,” he says. “You are more connected to the world.” The third-floor gallery will feature exhibits by visiting artists and faculty.
In March 2007, UVA President John Casteen established the Commission for the Future, seeking strategies that would distinguish the University in all areas of study. With Ruffin Hall complete and Fayerweather Hall renovated, the next steps include new Art Museum facilities and spaces for performing arts.
Ruffin Hall will be formally dedicated on Thursday, October 2 at 12:30pm.
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