Outdoor studio and classroom planned

Facility will allow landscape to inspire art and discussion


The Doel Reed Center for the Arts enjoys spectacular and distant panoramic views of the valley below and the mountains beyond. As the property is utilized by more and more classes, a new teaching and event space has developed as a high priority need. The addition of a covered outdoor patio would allow students to create their art outdoors or engage in lively conversations about a range of topics from literature to the landscape. Anyone familiar with the direct New Mexico sunshine and the late afternoon showers understands the need for a covered outdoor space designed to extend the use of the studio for artists and create an outdoor classroom for students immersed in the spectacular landscape.

The leadership of the Doel Reed Center has adopted this project and is working to secure the funding needed to complete the construction by May 2018 so that summer classes might utilize the new space.

“We are going with a ‘ghost studio’ concept, so it’s the same size as the Reed Studio and the columns are located to reflect the locations of windows and doors,” said Nigel Jones, OSU’s university architect. “This will be perfect for outdoor classes, workshops and others gatherings that need more space than the studio can provide. It will also offer protection from the sun and rain for all sorts of classes – fly fishing, sketching, painting, fabric dying and papermaking, to name just a few examples.”

If you are interested in supporting this project, including potentially naming the patio, please contact Deb Engle at dengle@osugiving.com or (405) 385-5600.