WHAT: Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals by Rhode Island artist Gino Conti, once thought to be lost or painted over, have been restored and will be unveiled Monday at the University of Rhode Island. They were discovered while workers removed sheetrock in Edwards Hall to prepare for renovation work in the summer of 2010. Conservators at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center finished restoration this past summer.
The celebration also marks the completion of a $1.5 million project to enhance fire protection, technology and aesthetics in Edwards. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a federal program designed to lessen the suffering of the current recession, provided the funding. Conti’s artwork, a project also commissioned by the federal government, was designed to provide jobs in the 1930s and 1940s.
WHEN: Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, noon.
WHERE: Edwards Hall lobby, 64 Upper College Road, URI’s Kingston Campus. Edwards Hall, one of URI’s classic granite structures, opened in 1928. It houses a 900-seat auditorium for many of the University’s most prominent public events.
WHO: URI President David M. Dooley, Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert A. Weygand and URI Art History Professor Ron Onorato.
TO MAKE COVERAGE ARRANGEMENTS: Call Dave Lavallee, URI Department of Communications and Marketing at 401-874-5862.