Ray Ring, a native New Yorker, received a BFA in art education from Pratt Institute in 1967 and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969. He started working at the Graduate Center, CUNY's (GC) first home on 42nd Street in 1971, when he was hired as an artist in residence to paint number murals for each of the eighteen floors. He directed and curated exhibitions for the GC’s first exhibition space, an open-air mall on the first floor of its 42nd Street building. For over forty years, Ring has been responsible for all aspects of building design for the Graduate Center. He has be responsible for over 300 exhibitions at the GC. He also curates and maintains the GC’s Art Collection.
Besides his position at the GC, he has been an exhibition designer for many other organizations, including the African American Institute, Municipal Archives, New York State Supreme Court of Appeals, Yivo Institute, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, General Theological Seminary, and the Neuberger Museum, where he designed the African Art Gallery. Especially interested in art that is accessible to the public, he was one of the first artists commissioned by the MTA “Arts in Transit Program.” He created a large terrazzo artwork for the floor of the Clark Street station in Brooklyn Heights.
