Brigham Young University’s College of Fine Arts and Communications is inviting alumni and visitors to celebrate a centennial anniversary at its new building in Provo from 6-10 p.m. Saturday, according to a Oct. 9 report.
The celebration will take place in the Arts Building, which opened this fall to replace the former Harris Fine Arts Center and serves students in the media arts, theater, design, and art departments.
The centennial marks the 1925 establishment of the first fine arts college in the Intermountain West at BYU. Suzanne Campbell, an assistant dean of external relations in the college, stated that the college has grown from approximately 100 students at its inception to a neighborhood of 3,300 students today.
Visitors attending the event on Saturday will be able to see the full scope of the facility and view performances from various departments. This includes a sneak peek of an original production titled "All the Beautiful Things," a play based on true interviews of people returning to their faith from various religions.
The new facility features more than 275,000 square feet of performance and instruction space. The building contains 28 classrooms, 29 studios, 12 labs, six galleries, four theaters, and four rehearsal spaces. It is also expected to host more than 500 performances annually and houses the college’s administrative offices.
Campbell noted that the building includes a configurable studio theater and a student-run black box theater, also known as the experimental theater, which allows students to take ownership of their productions.
The college has seen significant achievement in various programs, including a world-class design and art program. The School of Communication has received Emmy and ADDY awards, while the animation program within design has won several awards. Additionally, the dance program is described as world-renowned, with the ballroom dance team recently winning the Blackpool Festival.
