A food court at the Rhode Island Convention Center is shown in the foreground with the 3,000-pound glass sculpture ‘Fresnel Ring,’ by New York City artist James Carpenter seen hanging from the ceiling in the background. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
The third-floor rotunda at the Rhode Island Convention Center is going to get a makeover in the next few years. But absent from the revamp will be a sculpture made of glass shards that’s hovered above the lobby for nearly three decades.
The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) voted Monday to approve the permanent removal of “ Fresnel Ring ” by James Carpenter, which cost $380,000 when it was commissioned and installed in 1996. A planned renovation of the open space that would create a new meeting area for convention goers and guests requires the removal of the 3,000-pound sculpture.
The renovation is part of an attempt to modernize the convention center that also includes updating the fifth floor ballroom and meeting rooms and replacing fire alarms, at a total estimated cost of $8.9 million, according to preliminary numbers from a Rhode Island Convention Center Authority document from February 2023.