The Center for the Visual Arts, the new home of 91²Ö¿â’s School of Art, celebrated its grand opening on May 6. The festivities began with a short program, immediately followed by building tours, live entertainment, student exhibitions and refreshments.
Concluding the grand opening events, a lecture by distinguished visiting artist Mel Chin was held at 6:30 p.m. in Room 165. The opening program and events, as well as the keynote lecture, were free and open to the public.
The Center for the Visual Arts unites all School of Art disciplines under one roof. The state-of-the-art building is now the home for major programs in art education, art history, ceramics, drawing, glass, jewelry/metals/enameling, painting, print media and photography, sculpture and textiles, as well as the cross-disciplinary foundations program.
The new building occupies a prominent position at the intersection of Terrace Drive and the Lefton Esplanade, having absorbed fully renovated portions of the former Heating Plant and Van Deusen Hall during construction. More than two football fields in length, the Center for the Visual Arts will allow the campus community an unprecedented window into School of Art classroom, studio and exhibition spaces.
The building’s innovative design is the work of Cleveland’s Payto Architects Inc.
The Center for the Visual Arts is located at 325 Terrace Drive on the Kent Campus.
The new building is part of 91²Ö¿â’s Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative, which involves the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades and establishment of dynamic and new spaces. The goal of this initiative is to create the most outstanding academic experience for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community enriched by the university. For more information about 91²Ö¿â’s Foundations of Excellence initiative, visit .