About the University of Rhode Island
URI is in the village of Kingston, twenty-five miles south of Providence, Rhode Island. Originally an agricultural school, it retains its rural feel, surrounded by farmland, yet conveniently accessible by public transit.
Conclave housing will be in Garrahy Residence Hall which has apartment-style housing: rooms are grouped into suites, each with its own kitchen, living room, and bathroom facilities. The living rooms are perfect for evening consort reading sessions. Unlike our accommodations in previous years, all rooms are designed as singles with one full-size bed. They will be available as singles or as doubles for couples who want to share a bed.
Most of our classes will be held in the living rooms of the suites. This means, on the one hand, that we will share our living space with teachers and other attendees, but on the other, we won’t have to go far for most classes, something much appreciated by those playing (and carrying) bass viols! For the larger classes we will use classrooms in a nearby academic building.
Updated information on dining hall: In early April we learned that due to university renovation plans, which conference Services had just been informed about, we will be eating meals in Butterfield Dining Hall rather than where we had originally been assigned. Butterfield is about half a mile, or a 10- to 15-minute walk from the dorm. We hope that for most attendees this will be an opportunity to get a little exercise during Conclave, but realize that for some, walking this distance may be challenging, and we are working on finding a way to offer assistance to those who need it.
The Vendors’ Emporium, managed by Kip Irvine, will be situated in the large central lobby of Garrahy. Our full-service vendor will be Eric Haas of the Von Huene Workshop, the Early Music Shop of New England. Sarah Peck and Warren Shingleton will join us as viol doctors, and Carolyn Foulkes will be our bow doctor.
The opening gathering, featured lecture, evening concerts, student recital, and Town Meeting will all take place in the auditorium of the modern Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences, close to Garrahy. The live auction and the banquet will be held in the Memorial Union Ballroom. This building is also home to a small food court where we can purchase drinks, snacks, or Wednesday night dinner.
For our Wednesday afternoon and evening off there are a number of possibilities: exploring the neighboring village of Narragansett with its lovely, rocky beaches; the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in Exeter; historic Wickford Village (also on the RIPTA 66 bus line); farther afield is Newport with its mansions, restaurants, and other sights. For those who would prefer to catch up on rest, practice, or playing consorts with friends, there are modest dinner choices in a small shopping strip just off the campus, about a mile from the dorm. There, you will find an assortment of modest restaurants including a bagel cafe; a crêperie; and Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and Mexican places, none of them fancy or pricey. A little farther afield, five miles south of URI, in the village of Wakefield, accessible by car or local RIPTA bus, are a number of grocery stores and liquor stores.
Getting to Campus
By rail: The Kingston railroad station, served by Amtrak’s Northeast Regional service, is a mile from campus.
By air: The closest airport is T. F. Green Airport (PVD) in Providence (see Local Bus below for how to connect from the airport to campus).. Additionally, Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) is eighty miles north of the campus and accessible by train, and Bradley International Airport (BDL), near Hartford, Connecticut, is ninety miles west of the campus.
Local Bus: Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) bus #66 has regular service between Providence and URI, and has a stop at T.F. Green Airport. The $2 fare, cash or RIPTA Wave App or Card only, will take you right to the Memorial Union building in the center of campus.
By Car: URI is on Rhode Island Route 138, between I-95 to the west and U.S. Route 1 to the east of campus. More details about directions can be found here: https://web.uri.edu/visit/maps-and-directions/