Collegiate Times

T-shirts in the windows of downtown stores call Blacksburg a ?drinking town with a football problem.? And that?s what Blacksburg and Virginia Tech are known for ? football, the Hokie Bird and engineering. A group of faculty, local businessmen and town government hope to change that by planning for a $50 million arts center on Tech?s campus.

The newly formed ?Arts Stakeholder Group? is now in charge of plans for the proposed fine arts and performing arts center.

Minnis Ridenour, former chief operating officer and executive vice president, has been asked to chair the organization and aid in resource development for the center.

The Arts Stakeholder Group was formed to consider the university?s needs and apply them to the project. Also, they will be in charge of incorporating classroom and instructional needs into the design considerations.

The group includes several department heads from the programs within the School of the Arts: John Husser, department of music; Patricia Raun, department of theatre arts; Truman Capone, department of art and art history; Susan Magliaro, director of the School of Education; Don Drapeau, former head of the department of theatre arts; and Kylie Johnson, director of development for fine and performing arts.

For now, the group envisions a series of performance venues and gallery space. The master plan calls for a 67,000 square foot building that would include a 1,300-seat performing arts auditorium and art museum space.

?We are very excited about the Performing Arts Center to be located on the Virginia Tech campus. Several years ago, the town of Blacksburg developed a Downtown Master Plan to explore ways to rejuvenate and strengthen our town center. This plan envisioned downtown Blacksburg becoming a regional cultural center,? said Ron Rordam, the mayor of Blacksburg.

The Arts Stakeholder Group will be the driving force behind the creative decisions for the new facility. Once the academic year begins, concerns from the academic community will be considered.

?Being an art major at Virginia Tech means you sort of get the short-end-of-the-stick when it comes to facilities, funding and professors. Fine art, performing art and music brings so much to a community. This is something that Virginia Tech's community can benefit from as well as the local Blacksburg community,? said art major Allison Jarnagin.

The $50 million facility will be situated along the Alumni Mall near Schultz Dining Center.

?Right now my classrooms include a run-down building near the edge of town called the Armory. This is the central office. The old hospital near the edge of town is also an art building. I also have random classes in rooms downtown that the university has purchased from the town ... we just don't have any nice buildings,? Jarnagin said.

The location of the Performing Arts Center will help Blacksburg achieve this vision. The center will compliment the Lyric and bring people downtown. The downtown merchants and landowners have been working very hard to keep our downtown vital. This is welcome news to many.

?I appreciate Virginia Tech?s decision to locate this project close to downtown Blacksburg, and I look forward to finding ways that the town and the university can work together on this exciting addition to our town,? Rordam said.

As far as finances, the university plans on the help of fund-raising and private philanthropy as an important component.

When asked whether she thought the university would acquire proper funding for this project, Jarnagin remained hopeful.

?I don't know where they will get the funding for this, but I sure hope it happens for the sake of Virginia Tech,? she said. ?It would really bring some diversity to a school of engineers by bringing in some students with different interests.?