The Board of Visitors is looking to devote significant resources toward expanding the University’s Arts Department.
The Arts Department at the University is comprised of drama, studio art, architecture, music, dance, creative writing and art history. Together they function out of an area known as Arts Grounds or, more recently, the Betsy and John Casteen Arts Grounds, after the former University president and his wife, who were avid advocates of the arts.
The department is working with the Board of Visitors to improve and grow after a large development project in 2006, according to fourth-year College student Daniel Judge, the student member for the Board of Visitors.
The 2006 project yielded $38 million in private gifts funded capital projects, Judge said. This funding allowed for the building of Ruffin Hall and the Culbreth Parking Garage as well as renovations of Fayerweather Hall, Campbell Hall and Bayly Building galleries.
Many programs, including the President’s Speaker for the Arts, have been launched over recent years to expand the presence of arts on Grounds, Provost for the Arts Jody Kielbasa said in an emailed statement. The President’s Speaker for the Arts has in the past two years brought both writer and actress Tina Fey and actor Kevin Spacey to Grounds.
Additionally, a new bi-annual arts magazine was published along with the launch of a new website, Kielbasa said.
“We have worked to strengthen programs and departments by helping to fund artist residencies, creative work, and cross discipline partnerships across the Grounds," he said.
Although the arts are often discussed at Board of Visitor meetings, there is always room for more conversation, Judge said. The most recent initiative adopted by the Board is the Bayly Building, which currently houses the Fralin Art Museum.
“I believe [the Bayly Building] is in the plans and listed in the construction plans for the future,” Judge said. “There are plans for renovation going forward.”
Various proposals are also being brought to the attention of the Board by Architecture School students, the most publicized one being the expansion of the University down Ivy Road, Judge said.
“There’s a program in the Architecture School where they come up with different proposals about things on Grounds,” Judge said.
This proposal process allows the members of the Architecture School to communicate with the Board and voice their opinions about University development.
“It’s a perfect example that the Architecture School itself can align to the University because they have the best knowledge about the place,” Judge said. “Hopefully that is something they can do more of going forward and hopefully something I can facilitate more.”
Read this article translated into Chinese here.
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