Victor Ortega BROWNSVILLE – Painting, drawing, photography along with the rest of the art and design programs will have a new home in early 2026 at the former Longoria Elementary near the UTRGV Brownsville Student Union.
Last month the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the total project cost of $39 million.
The new Brownsville Visual Arts Complex will also feature a gallery open to the public for faculty and guest exhibitions.
The complex will be about a half mile away from the University.
New parking spots for students and faculty will also be included, alongside a new route for VOLT users.
Jeffrey Ward, School of Fine Arts dean, said the elementary school is an ideal fit for the arts as each branch will get its own space.
“We had small little buildings everywhere and that’s perfect for art because you can isolate each studio, so your photography studio and your darkroom is all in one building and you don’t have to worry about it being next to ceramics where you’re [going to] get clay dust and those kinds of issues,” Ward said.
He said the architects of the project are designing the space for it to fit with the design of the Brownsville campus.
“So, you may go through a neighborhood but then you see the art building and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is UTRGV,’” Ward said.
Stephen Hawks, School of Art and Design lecturer, said the new space will allow Brownsville students to allocate more time to their craft.
“One of the main things is [students] have to travel and it’s like 40% to the other campus for a degree in art, design is even worse,” Hawks said. “It takes away so much time from the students that would otherwise probably be in the studio.” “So, I think [BVACX] would impact them really well.”
Gabriela Padilla, studio art junior, said she believes more space within the new facility will greatly benefit programs including photography.
“I think [BVACX] would impact it a lot because I know, especially for photography, we have a very small space,” Padilla said. “So, I think it would be good because they’ll be more area for all the students and for more equipment.”
Construction is expected to start in a couple months to meet its completion goal in December.
