Graduate studios are available on a remote part of campus known as The Ridges. This property is situated atop a large hill overlooking the Hocking River and the entire Athens community. Over 700 acres of woodlands and meadows surrounded over thirty historic buildings that were formerly part of a huge state mental health facility. Established in the middle of the 19th century, this area contained a dairy, a garden, a greenhouse, a nursery, an orchard, farm animals, a power plant and everything needed to create a self-sustained community for fifteen hundred residents. Punctuating this complex is the centerpiece Lin Hall, which houses the Kennedy Museum of Art and the School of Art Graduate Studios. This Victorian-style building with twin spires was administrative headquarters for the mental health facility. It was restored and renovated in 1996 in order to create a museum for the Athens and Ohio University community. The permanent collections include: an outstanding collection of Native American artifacts, a large number of historic photographs, and over 1700 contemporary prints.

The School of Art acquired the third floor east wing in 1999 affording over 15,000 square feet of space for our graduate program. The Ridges Studio complex has become the working home and the center of creative activity for the community of graduate art students. Thirty-two individual studios, two projects spaces, and two galleries offer an arena for experimentation. Students enjoy the rich history and the community atmosphere that help create a stimulating work environment. Multi-media installations, mail art shows, performance art, receptions, and open houses are just a few of the many events that contribute to the continuing vitality of this thriving art center. The Ridges Studios have become a network for artistic attitudes and ideas that flow freely and expand in all directions.

For more information about the Ridges complex visit the website at http://cscwww.cats.ohiou.edu/~ridges.