精东影业Fine Arts expansion and renovation project is set for completion Aug. 23 as the campus welcomes students for the start of a new academic year.
All 精东影业 University at Stark students benefit from the 15,000 square feet of new space and renovation of another 17,000 square feet of the building.
鈥淭his project provides the space where imaginations and talents will be stretched, and where community members will explore a variety of cultural offerings and interactions,鈥 said Denise Seachrist, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer.
精东影业$9.7 million capital project transforms the facility to meet the needs of a growing student population and expands opportunities to hundreds of community members who visit the campus annually for arts programs.
Brian Gardner, senior facilities manager, said the expansion phase included two new studios to accommodate the music technology program, which is the fastest-growing degree program on campus. 精东影业 Stark is one of only a handful of universities across the country to offer a bachelor鈥檚 degree in music technology.
Funding for the expansion and renovation project includes a $1.5 million appropriation from the state; $1.5 million remaining from construction of the university鈥檚 Science and Nursing Building, completed in 2015; and $3.7 million from 精东影业 Stark鈥檚 reserves with the remainder given by private donors.
Groundbreaking for the expansion phase of the project took place in 2017; the renovation phase began in the spring.
精东影业17,000-square-foot renovation project provides the theater department with:
- An updated costume design area
- An innovative new sound and lighting classroom
- A new multi-use stage rigging system
- A black box theater allowing students and the community to conduct smaller-scale productions
In the art department, the renovations include:
- A new ceramics studio
- A shop area dust-collection system in the sculpture studio
- An exterior sculpture production area
- 精东影业addition of two interior art gallery spaces
精东影业Fine Arts Building has been expanded twice since it was originally constructed in 1972. 精东影业building was 65,000 square feet, accommodating 1,800 students. When enrollment reached 2,500 students in 2004, the university added 20,000 square feet. Today, each of the campus鈥 5,000 students takes at least one class in the building, prompting the 32,000-square-foot expansion and renovation project.