The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts has issued a call for two public art commissions totaling $135,000 at Rhode Island College.
An exterior artwork budgeted for $100,000 and an interior commission for $35,000 planed for the Horace Mann Hall at the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development. Through a competitive selection process, two artists or teams of artists will be chosen to create artwork that is “welcoming, celebratory, inclusive and evokes learning, play, childhood, knowledge, intellectual growth, teaching and RIC’s diversity.”
There is no fee to apply and the deadline is Feb. 20. The interior commission is restricted to Rhode Island artists; emerging artists are encouraged to apply.
“From our classrooms to our galleries to our public spaces, art has an important and enriching presence on our campus,” said Jack Warner, the college’s president. “This new work of art will be the signature element of a modernized, reimagined Horace Mann Hall, and will serve as an inspiration to all who teach and learn there.”
During 2022, Horace Mann Hall, a 46,000-square-foot building and home to the school of education, received a makeover. The building’s three-story tower has been renovated to include six classrooms, three new seminar rooms and a reconfigured computer lab. It houses the departments of elementary education, special education and educational studies.
“Horace Mann Hall will be the epicenter of education for Rhode Island’s aspiring teachers,” said Lynne McCormack, executive director of the arts council. “We are excited that these projects will be part of this important renovation.”
The money for the projects is being paid for through Rhode Island’s Allocations for Art for Public Facilities Act.