The Rarig Center is a brutalist theater, television, radio, and classroom building on the University of Minnesota 's campus in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, US. Designed by Ralph Rapson and built in 1971, the structure houses four theaters—a thrust , proscenium , theater in the round , and black box —as well as the studios for Radio K . An anchor for the University's West Bank Arts Quarter, the Rarig has been praised for its boldness and functionality but has also been described as "menacing".
21-605: The Rarig Center was designed and built in 1971 by American architectural firm Ralph Rapson and Associates. Erected in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis on the campus of the University of Minnesota , Rarig was constructed to house theaters and television studios. It sits due west of Ferguson Hall (1985), across 4th Street South to the north of the Regis Center for Art (2003), and directly southeast of Wilson Library (1967). It
42-558: A sprung floor over the original wood flooring. The Nolte Xperimental Theatre, also known as the X, is a black box theater with a capacity of up to 99 audience members and is configurable in a variety of ways. Productions in the X are produced only by undergraduates. The studios of Radio K (KUOM), the University of Minnesota's radio station, are housed in the Rarig Center. A variety of classrooms and theater laboratories also exist within
63-573: A Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences and a Master of Science in Visual Studies. Both degrees are from Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Becky Yust, Interim Dean (2015–2017) Becky Yust served as interim dean of the College of Design from 2015 to 2017. Yust is a professor of housing studies. Thomas Fisher, Dean (2006–2015) Tom Fisher served as the inaugural dean of the College of Design, leading
84-501: A building and how I expect them to live.” Rapson was a prolific sketch artist and kept volumes of sketchbooks from his various world travels. A book of selected sketches was published in 2002. In the book's introduction, Cesar Pelli described his drawings as "completely self-assured" and "quintessentially American." Some of Rapson's most important projects include: Rapson died quietly in his home in Minneapolis on March 29, 2008. He
105-534: A quarter-scale replica of the original Guthrie Theater , which Rapson also designed. The Thrust features a steeply overhanging balcony, described as an "Alpine Slope". The next largest theater is the Whiting Proscenium Theatre, also called the Pro, a 420-seat proscenium stage well suited to productions with large casts and dance performances. The Kilburn Arena Theatre, a 200-seat theater in the round , includes
126-630: A young architect, Rapson worked for the Saarinen architectural office from 1940 to 1941. He moved to Chicago in 1941, where he worked with George Fred Keck and others. Rapson taught architecture at the New Bauhaus School (now IIT Institute of Design ) in Chicago under Laszlo Maholy-Nagy from 1942 to 1946, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1946 to 1954. He was Head of
147-461: Is home to eight undergraduate majors in the fields of architecture, apparel design, graphic design, interior design , landscape architecture , product design , and retail merchandising . There are 23 graduate degree programs, eight undergraduate minors, nine research centers, and the Goldstein Museum of Design . The College of Design is located on both the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses of
168-450: Is the oldest of the five buildings to make up the University's West Bank Arts Quarter. The structure was named in honor of University of Minnesota speech professor Frank Rarig and dedicated June 1, 1973. Rapson's design for the Center borrowed imagery from Swiss-French designer Le Corbusier 's New Brutalism movement. In a contemporary review of the structure, author Larry Millett noted that
189-583: Is the philanthropist Rip Rapson . Rapson was born in Alma, Michigan with a deformed right arm that was amputated at birth; he learned to draw expertly with his left hand. He earned architecture degrees at the University of Michigan , and at the Cranbrook Academy of Art , where he studied under Eliel Saarinen . “Cranbrook was a very exciting, dynamic place where I met and worked with guys like Charlie Eames , Harry Bertoia , and Harry Weese ,” Rapson said. As
210-541: The School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota from 1954 to 1984, where "generations of Minnesota architects came up through [his] tutelage". While at Cranbrook, Rapson was part of a team with Eero Saarinen and Fred James which won the competition for a National Festival Theater on the campus of the College of William and Mary . This would possibly have been the first Modernist building on an American academic campus, but it went unbuilt amidst political opposition to
231-721: The University of Minnesota Twin Cities . The programs of apparel design , graphic design , interior design , housing studies, and retail merchandising are located in McNeal Hall on the St. Paul campus. The Goldstein Museum of Design is also located in McNeal Hall. On the Minneapolis campus the College of Design is located in Rapson Hall, where the architecture, landscape architecture, and product design programs are housed, and at 1425 University Ave. where
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#1732848743382252-639: The Center for Sustainable Building Research and two studio spaces are located. Dr. Prasad Boradkar (2023–present) is the current dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Design. He is a designer, anthropologist, educator, and researcher with several years of experience leading design and research teams in both academia and industry. Most recently Boradkar served as UX research and sustainability lead at Google's Advanced Technology & Projects Division, where he led efforts on user experience research and sustainable development for health and wellness products. Carol Strohecker (2017–2023) Previously, Strohecker
273-411: The New Bauhaus School. “Practically all the work I’ve done is not too far off from Bauhaus principles,” he said. However, he also stressed his work was oriented to people rather than abstract principles: “Whenever I’m designing a building or a piece of furniture, people become a strong part of my general approach. The design process isn’t just about bricks and stones; for me it’s also about the people in
294-554: The Rarig is the "strongest architectural statement on the West Bank campus." Upon venturing inside, he wrote, "you half expect to find the leaders of the Evil Empire gathered somewhere in the three-story-high atrium, plotting the demise of Luke Skywalker ." Authors David Gebhard and Tom Martison indicated that, like other Rapson-designed theaters, the Rarig's were quite functional and described
315-596: The building as a "theatrical piece of sculpture". Millett wrote that the building's interior rooms—the offices, the radio and television studios, and the theaters—are all apparent in the building's external features. The Rarig houses four theaters and hosts two troupes: the University Theatre and the Xperimental Theater. The largest space is the Stoll Thrust Theatre, a 460-seat thrust stage designed as
336-463: The building, including a design studio and costume, scenery, and lighting shops. Ralph Rapson Ralph Rapson (September 13, 1914 – March 29, 2008) was Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota for 30 years. He was an interdisciplinary designer, one of the world's oldest practicing architects at his death at age 93, and also one of the most prolific. His oldest son
357-471: The history of the school, and he will be very much missed by the thousands of people he influenced.” Linda Mack remembered him as "A gentleman of the old school [who] maintained his career, his dignity, his charm and his kindliness to the end. He left more than an architectural legacy." According to Kay Lockhart, "Ralph loved being an architect, and he told me once, he 'felt sorry for anyone who wasn't an architect.' He infused us all with that same spirit." His
378-587: The sponsoring organization, the American National Theater and Academy , spurred by the controversial productions of the independent but similar Federal Theater Project (also shuttered in 1939). After accepting his position at the University of Minnesota, Rapson lead his own practice in Minneapolis from 1954 to 2008. His work was predominantly in the Modernist style and greatly influenced by his time at
399-453: Was survived by his wife Mary and two sons, Richard " Rip " and Thomas "Toby", and a daughter, Ren, from a previous marriage. University of Minnesota College of Design University of Minnesota College of Design is located on both the Saint Paul and Minneapolis campuses of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities . The College of Design includes the full range of design disciplines and
420-599: Was vice provost for academic affairs at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Prior to RISD, she was the inaugural director of the University of North Carolina 's multicampus Center for Design Innovation. Strohecker conducted research on learning environment design and technology-enhanced learning at Media Lab Europe (the European partner of the MIT Media Lab ) and Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs . She holds
441-452: Was working in his office the previous day. Six hundred people attended his memorial service at the new Guthrie Theater. He was described as a "rock star" in the field. Thomas Fisher, Dean of the University of Minnesota's College of Design at the time (and Dean of the School of Architecture until the College's establishment ), said: “His passing ends an era in American architecture as well as in
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