The Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Center for Visual Arts opens its doors
INTERLOCHEN, MI – Interlochen Arts Academy visual arts students have started their school year off with a brand new, three-level visual arts facility. The 36,000 square foot building includes a 1,600 square foot gallery and eight studio spaces for digital arts, photography, printmaking, fiber arts, metals, sculpture, ceramics, and painting and drawing.
The Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Center for Visual Arts broke ground in May 2007. Today, after moving equipment from the previous visual arts building and setting up the studio space, classes are being held in the new facility.
The center for visual arts is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. LEED recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
With moveable walls, concentrated ventilation spray booths, and an optimum condition archive room for the storage of student art work, the new facility not only boasts the “green” factor but its flexibility has students and faculty raving.
“The new facility was designed for efficiency,” said Interlochen visual arts director Kaz McCue. “It will aid in offering our visual arts students the highest quality learning experience possible and prepare them for college.”
The $7 million facility is named after late Interlochen trustees and primary donors, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow. The state-of-the-art center was designed and built by Cornerstone Architects and Hallmark Construction. The facility will also house adult education programming as part of Interlochen’s College of Creative Arts.
Interlochen Arts Academy attracts exceptionally talented and motivated students from nearly every state and more than 20 other countries to study creative writing, music, dance, visual arts, theatre, motion picture arts and rigorous college preparatory academics.
