Cinema Rénové

A recent visitor to the Rice Media Center marveled at the pine wood floor with its shiny smooth surface. For years, the floor had been covered with a charcoal-black paint, but last summer, it was sanded, polished, and coated with a protective sealant, revealing the true beauty of the wood.

In many ways, the restoration serves as a metaphor for the improvements the Rice Media Center has recently undergone—not so much a renovation as an uncovering of a natural resource already present. With equipment upgrades, program changes, and the addition of a new cinema director, the Rice Media Center is experiencing a renaissance, and the possibilities seem boundless.

Karin Broker, art professor and chair of the Department of Visual Arts, says she knew she had “a real jewel” on her hands that needed some polishing. So, she rolled up her sleeves and, along with Rice Cinema director Charles Dove and staff members Jeff Fegley, Rachel Boyle, Gaylon Denney, and Michael Miron, began restoring the floor, painting the walls, and making furniture.

“The Rice Cinema is a treasure that is unrecognized in Houston, particularly in the Rice community,” says Hamid Naficy, film and media studies professor, who was among several professors who led an effort to renovate the Rice Cinema. “Faculty, staff, and students don’t often come to see the films, but I am hoping that will change with all the improvements we’ve made.”

Today, the interior walls of the Rice Media Center look as fresh as the floor—most were painted cathedral gray, while one wall in the lobby received a coat of bright blue. Faculty and staff members built modern wood and iron tables specifically for the lobby area, giving the wide space that faces the large windows a café ambiance. Also, a room in the back of the media center was remodeled and made into a digital imaging lab for students to produce work in digital photography.

Of all the spaces in the Rice Media Center, the theater auditorium received the biggest facelift. For one, it now has an electric-blue neon sign announcing loud and clear that the barnlike structure houses a cinema. Inside the theater auditorium, the carpet, which had been trod for years—maybe decades—was finally replaced. But what really gives the auditorium a sense of rejuvenation are the 230 new seats that are numbered and lettered and wheelchair accessible through a recently installed ramp.

“This is the first time we have ever bought seats,” says Dove. “The previous seats were scrounged out of the old Alabama Theater on Shepherd Drive that is now the Bookstop.” The seats had been dumped in the theater’s parking lot, and a faculty member went with a truck and picked them up.

Viewers not only will enjoy comfortable seats, but they also will be able to see and hear films with more precision. A new silver screen with much higher luminosity than the old one was installed along with a Dolby Digital multitrack sound system. Upgraded projection equipment will allow the theater to present different size films, from mini-digital videos to 8 millimeter, 16 millimeter, 35 millimeter, and even 70 millimeter film. No other theater in Houston has the capacity to show 70 millimeter films, says Brian Huberman, associate professor of visual arts and a filmmaker himself. “Some of the greatest films, such as Lawrence of Arabia, were shot with that massive format.”

Huberman, who has been at Rice for nearly 30 years, is beside himself when he talks about the media center. Optimism, says Huberman, is not part of his nature, but he admits that he is basking in the light of new possibilities. “We are at journey’s end after a long haul. We are finally in the modern age. The upgrades were so necessary that now we don’t have to apologize for this building. This is one of the best film auditoriums at a university.”

The changes in the Rice Media Center auditorium were made possible through a generous donation from a Rice alum. But the idea and physical work to implement the improvements were the result of several Rice faculty and staff members. History professor Gale Stokes says that when he was dean of humanities from 2000 to 2003, he wanted to increase the opportunities for students to interact with the arts. “I don’t think we have ever had enough art on campus,” he explains.

“Supporting the Rice Cinema sets a tone for the campus that is enriching for the community.” So when Naficy approached him with the idea of renovating the Rice Media Center auditorium and building a digital lab, Stokes went for it. He also enthusiastically supported splitting the Department of Art and Art History into two departments: art history and visual arts. When that happened, he says, a new sense of energy mobilized the visual artists.

“Everyone helping out like this was amazing,” Dove says of the renovations. “It attests to the kind of enthusiasm that the visual arts department has for this site.”

In fact, Broker plans to convert part of the media center into a studio for Rice artists and students. John Sparagana, associate visual arts professor, completely agrees, saying, “I really love coming here. It feels like a real home for practicing artists.” Broker also intends to move the main administrative visual arts office from Sewall Hall to the Rice Media Center.