Jim Barnes

Critic
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RISD faculty member Jim Barnes
BARC, Rhode Island School of Design
MS, Montana State University Bozeman

James Barnes received his BArch from RISD in 1969 and was awarded the Henry Adams Medal for Excellence in Architecture upon graduation. He completed graduate work at Montana State University where he began his teaching career. As a RISD faculty member, Barnes served as interim dean of the Division of Architecture (now Architecture & Design) and department head of Interior Architecture, and is a recipient of RISD’s John Frazier Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is also the recipient of a RISD Alumni Faculty Award.

Barnes is a registered architect certified by NCARB with an active practice in the southern New England region. His professional work has been by recognized by the RI Chapter AIA, the Providence Preservation Society and RI Monthly magazine. Award-winning projects include an addition to the First Unitarian Church of Providence on Benefit Street, the former headquarters for ITEM New Product Development on Point Street and 161 South Main Street, home of RISD’s Industrial Design department. Barnes currently serves on the Board of Directors of the AIA-Rhode Island, the Providence Revolving Fund and Ace Mentoring RI, where he is co-chair.

Academic areas of interest

Jim Barnes is part of the faculty team and occasional coordinator of the core studios Architectural Design and Urban Design Principles. His advanced elective studios focus on urban issues in Providence. Barnes also teaches Integrated Building Systems and Professional Practice. He was instrumental in initiating the Professional Internship experience now required in the curriculum in Architecture and has served as an intern development program coordinator for NCARB at RISD. Currently he coordinates curriculum issues for Architecture in the areas of building technology and professional practice. He also assists the department in its efforts at community engagement through the ACE Mentoring Program and the Lincoln School project, in which high school students are mentored and taught by RISD Architecture students.

Courses

Spring 2024 Courses

FOUND 1006-25 - STUDIO: SPATIAL DYNAMICS
Level Undergraduate
Unit Experimental and Foundation Studies
Subject Foundation Studies
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

FOUND 1006-25

STUDIO: SPATIAL DYNAMICS

Level Undergraduate
Unit Experimental and Foundation Studies
Subject Foundation Studies
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: T | 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM; T | 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM Instructor(s): Jim Barnes (Retired - Active) Location(s): What Cheer Studios, Room 101 Enrolled / Capacity: 20 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Studio: Spatial Dynamics is a studio-based inquiry into physical, spatial and temporal phenomena. The study of Spatial Dynamics is rooted in the necessity to consider forces and their effects on structure. Force is the consequence of energy. In Spatial Dynamics the energy and resultant forces are studied in actual motion, stability, and materiality. The structures of physical, spatial and temporal phenomena are studied through additive, subtractive, transformative, iterative, and ephemeral processes both analog and digital. Mediums and materials that are commonly explored and utilized have a broad range of characteristics due to their organic and synthetic sources. Most assignments utilize methods such as preliminary sketches and diagrams in research, planning, and experimental processes. Assignments reference the histories and theories of art and design and include areas of inquiry that extend to disciplines such as the sciences, music, dance, film, and theater.

Enrollment is limited to first-year undergraduate students.

Major Requirement | BFA

Image
RISD faculty member Jim Barnes
BARC, Rhode Island School of Design
MS, Montana State University Bozeman