Students can prepare to welcome the new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center within the next year as groundbreaking for the new facility began Dec. 1, The faculty and student body of Virginia Wesleyan University are excited about the groundbreaking of the new $11 million, 23,200 sq. ft. building that will bring a new performing auditorium and numerous classrooms and offices for faculty.
“I think all the new things coming to VWU are great! I’ve been here three years now and I’ve seen Birdsong Field, Greer Environmental Center, and the new track all be built and now the new art building coming in 2019. The art building is going to be amazing with the glass enclosed grand lobby and theater that seats 300 people. Yes, it’s a lot of changes quickly to a campus but it has and will continue to provide great opportunities for students and enhance our overall experience here at Virginia Wesleyan,” junior Amanda Germi said.
Susan S. and David Goode are to be thanked as they have made the groundbreaking for the new center possible, being the building’s leading donors.
“The Goodes are lead donors for this project and we thank them, and their tremendous generosity. Their philanthropic philosophy has impact far beyond the capital areas of their giving, and they care deeply about cultivating the arts in Virginia and ensuring the future of the arts in America,” President Miller said.
The Goodes and other Virginia Wesleyan University board members have put a lot of hard work and donations into the production of this building. “We thank all of our Board members for their wisdom and guidance in making this center a reality,” Miller said.
The groundbreaking is just the beginning of the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center though; the construction is predicted to take 11 months making it accessible to student to use in the spring of 2019. The current fine arts building will continue to be used for classes, but there are plans for the building to go under multiple renovations while the new arts and performing arts center is under construction.
The construction of the new arts center plus the updating of the current fine arts building will bring a new outlook for the art program for Virginia Wesleyan University, and create new ways to display the talent of the student body at Virginia Wesleyan. “The building is going to affect all VWU students. The Joan and Macon Brock Theatre will host artistic performances, community/campus lectures, and many types of events on campus. The 300+ seating will allow for both large and intimate size events. The size is also a size that you don’t see a lot in the community. There are a lot of 800+ auditoriums, even 1200+, but to have medium sized events, they look empty in those large spaces,” Dr. Travis Malone said.
Other great features that the new fine and performing arts center will bring to the student body is a new front lobby where dinners and special functions will be held and a new student parking lot that will include 160 additional parking spaces for students.
Great things have happened and are continuing to happen at Virginia Wesleyan University which the student body and faculty are extremely excited about. “All the new buildings are so exciting for Virginia Wesleyan and the pictures of the new building look so great! I know a lot of students are excited about it being finished as well as myself,” Gerni said.
“VWU is well positioned for elevating the unbelievably fine work of our students, faculty, and staff. The addition of the Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center is just part of a brilliant future that is becoming brighter each day,” Malone said.
Brianna Kidwell
bnclarkson@vwu.edu
