FUTUREMAKERS The Campaign For Rivers THE RIVERS SCHOOLÂ EXCELLENCE WITH HUMANITY
CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND VISUAL ARTS
FALL 2018
The Center for Science and Visual Arts
When the Center for Science and Visual Arts opens its doors in January 2020, it will enhance Rivers’ already outstanding programs in science, visual arts, and humanities by providing the best possible facility for teaching and learning while promoting strong interdisciplinary connections. The addition of the center affirms Rivers’ long history of inspiring creativity, innovation, problem solving, and a passion for lifelong learning and exploration. The facility’s 34,000-square feet of space has been meticulously designed to give students the room, equipment, and freedom needed to tackle the most ambitious of projects and to provide new opportunities for learning.
“We are thrilled with the exciting opportunities this new facility will afford our program and our students,” says Science Department Chair Dr. Maureen Courtney. “ It is clear that our students are ready to tackle scientific endeavors that extend beyond the scope of traditional high school courses. The new guided research laboratory space will allow us to bring advanced fields of study and experiences in-house, while the new digital fabrication lab will allow robotics and engineering students to take the design process to new heights.” David Saul, chair of the visual arts department, is equally excited about the impact the new center will have on Rivers’ celebrated and award-winning arts program.
The center will energize students and faculty alike.
- Ned Parsons, Head of School “The center will bring all of our different art studios under one roof, creating a mixed-media environment that will promote creativity and provide studio spaces large enough to allow students to create ambitious artwork on a much larger scale,” says Saul. “This will be especially helpful to our advanced students who need to create portfolios for the college admissions process. They will be able to unleash their imaginations and create work that fully reflects their vision.”
Unleashing students’ imaginations and providing teachers with the space and resources needed to create innovative educational opportunities is what the Center for Science and Visual Arts is all about. “Rivers prides itself on offering a rigorous, interdisciplinary program that fosters within our students the creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills needed in today’s world,” says Head of School Ned Parsons. “This new center will let us build on that excellence. It presents opportunities to do more sophisticated lab experiments, engage in more hands-on learning, create exciting independent study projects, and promote more collaboration between people and disciplines. It will ensure that innovation remains a valued and highly visible component of the Rivers experience.”
The center will have extensive display areas showcasing both work in progress and finished artwork; there is nothing better than peer artwork to inspire other student artists. - David Saul, Visual Arts Department Chair
VISUAL ARTS CENTER
Rivers’ wide array of art disciplines — drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and digital media — will now be housed under one roof, creating an environment more conducive to creative thinking and mixed-media collaboration. The center will also offer:
Five spacious art studios big enough to accommodate large-scale
art projects and to give students the freedom to work on projects outside of class hours, Gallery space to display finished artwork in close proximity to the working studios, Large windows to provide plenty of natural light.
SCIENCE CENTER
Six spacious laboratories and laboratory classrooms complete with dynamic workspaces and the latest equipment form the core of the science center. Other important features include:
An advanced guided research lab that can be
used to pursue sensitive, long-term, independent study projects in the fields of virology, genetics, cell biology, micro-biology, and biochemistry. Prep rooms that give teachers the opportunity to set up complex experiments in advance of class, Large storage spaces for easy access and care for glassware, chemicals, microscopes and other lab equipment, Double-sided fume hoods in the labs that make it possible for teachers to conduct more sophisticated scientific demonstrations than was previously possible.
DIGITAL FABRICATION LAB
The Rivers engineering and robotics program will be housed in a large three-room suite that will offer an ideal environment for educating students in design thinking and exposing them to the iterative design process that simulates industry best practices. The three rooms in the suite will include: An engineering classroom featuring computer workstations configured with 3D computer-aided design software,
A rapid prototyping studio outfitted with eight 3D printers
and a CNC router, equipment that gives students the ability to quickly manufacture a 3D model that can be tested, revised, and re-fabricated in an iterative design loop,
A robotics studio providing ample room for constructing and and testing robots.
The breakout rooms provide ideal study spaces for small groups of people to work collaboratively. Maureen Courtney, Science Department Chair
Giving students access to rapid prototyping equipment forces them to think in 3D right from the start of the design process. Yoshi Fujita, Engineering and Robotics Instructor
FLOOR PLAN RENDERINGS First Floor Visual Arts Center
COLLABORATION AND INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING The union of science and visual arts in a single facility opens the door for exciting interdisciplinary opportunities. The two disciplines have a shared purpose — to expand our understanding of the world around us. Because they approach that task from different directions, we expect to see innovative interdisciplinary projects and initiatives develop organically as teachers and students observe, share, collaborate, and imagine together. Specific features of the building that support collaboration and interdisciplinary learning include: Common areas and gallery spaces that are open, vibrant and interactive, Six flexible interdisciplinary classrooms that open academic spaces for use by myriad interdisciplinary courses, Four small breakout areas that give both students and teachers quiet places to work collaboratively in small groups.
Second Floor Science Center
KEY FACTS SCIENCE CENTER
2 physics labs 4 biology and chemistry labs/classrooms 4 lab prep rooms Advanced research lab
DIGITAL FABRICATION LAB Engineering classroom Rapid prototyping studio Robotics workshop
VISUAL ARTS CENTER
Photography studio and print lab 2D art/drawing studio Painting and printmaking studio Ceramics studio and glazing workshop Sculpture studio and plaster workshop Independent portfolio studio Extensive exhibition areas
INTERDISCIPLINARY AND COMMUNITY SPACES
6 flexible interdisciplinary classrooms 4 breakout rooms for collaborative study Informal student gathering areas