The Oregon State University Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new $70 million Arts and Education Complex that will serve as a center for performing arts classes, programs and performances on the Corvallis campus.
The Corvallis Advocate reports that a $25 million gift from an anonymous donor, along with $10 million in other philanthropic gifts and $35 million in state of Oregon-paid bonds will pay for construction of the 49,000-square-foot complex.
The university says the essential features of the complex Include:
•A new, acoustically superior concert hall that doubles as a classroom and a smaller, black box performance space that can be configured in multiple ways for theater productions, rehearsals and teaching.
•Rehearsal space for theater, music and ensembles.
•Backstage and support space integrated throughout the complex to support arts productions and break down barriers between teaching, rehearsal and performance.
•Art Galleries: Secure, dramatically illuminated spaces with appropriate climate control for displaying the university's art collections and cutting-edge art shows.
“The complex will serve as a center of creativity and will fuse programs in music, theater, visual and digital arts and technology," says University President F. King Alexander.
It is expected to open in the 2022-23 academic year.
