SUNY Potsdam Breaks Ground on $41 Million Performing Arts Building

POTSDAM, NY (04/29/2011)(readMedia)-- The State University of New York at Potsdam celebrated the groundbreaking for its $41 million Performing Arts Building in a ceremony with members of the College community and elected officials on Friday, April 29.

Fitting with the first-class facility's eventual mission, the ceremony kicked off with a group of brightly-dressed students improvising a dance in the soon-to-be-demolished parking lot. The Cari Danco troupe then performed a Caribfunk dance routine choreographed by faculty member A'Keitha Carey, with live music provided by a drum section. Soon thereafter, drama students spontaneously burst into verse, joining together to recite Shakespeare in unison.

With a backdrop of silhouettes designed by another theater class, the ceremony honored the talented students who will eventually grace the halls of SUNY Potsdam's Performing Arts Building.

"With the construction of this building, SUNY Potsdam will provide our students with practice and performance spaces that host cutting-edge technology, grant access to the arts for the campus and greater community, infuse the arts throughout every curriculum and offer integrated arts programs that will foster dynamic partnerships between the College and the Northern New York region," President John F. Schwaller said. "We would like to thank all of the people who were integral to this project -- faculty and staff, architects and contractors, the State University Construction Fund, members of the New York State Legislature, local officials, our volunteer boards, the College Council, and, of course, our students -- they are the reason we're here. This project is for them."

The Performing Arts Building will provide an estimated $128 million in economic activity and create 344 regional jobs in the North Country throughout construction.

This is the first new academic building to be constructed on the SUNY Potsdam campus since 1973. The Performing Arts Building will feature 97,000 square feet of theater and dance space, supporting the College's acclaimed Department of Theatre and Dance.

"Today's groundbreaking marks an exciting addition to the Potsdam campus and brings with it a critical economic impact, creating hundreds of jobs in the North Country," said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. "The building will serve as a very real symbol of the College's commitment to liberal and fine arts education and supports 'SUNY and the Vibrant Community,' one of the Six Big Ideas of our strategic plan, The Power of SUNY. I congratulate President Schwaller and his team and extend great thanks to all of the state and local officials who helped make the Performing Arts Building a reality."

State Senator Joseph Griffo, who advocated for funding for the building in the Legislature, spoke at the ceremony, and was joined by his colleague, Assemblymember Addie Jenne Russell.

"The inspiration that begins here at Potsdam sends ripples across all of New York State, where graduates change perspectives, alter the visual landscape and enhance the quality of our lives in ways that only the arts can do," Sen. Griffo said. "Yes, we are breaking ground for a building today, but in a deeper, truer sense, we are planting seeds for the future -- a future that will be brighter for our work together to make this building a reality. I am proud to be here, to have helped turn vision into reality, and to continue to make SUNY Potsdam an outstanding force that brings the power of positive change into every life it touches."

Representatives from Pfeiffer Partners Architects PC, which designed the building, and general contractor Northland Associates Inc. of Syracuse also attended, along with officials from the State University Construction Fund. Members of the SUNY Potsdam President's Council, College Council, Alumni Association and Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees all were in attendance.

Home to the State University of New York's first theater education program, SUNY Potsdam's Department of Theatre and Dance is dedicated to bringing the performing arts to students of all ages. Its outreach programs brought educational plays to 7,000 Northern New York school children last year alone, with programs offered at their districts and on campus-not to mention the many educational opportunities it offers through summer camps and special events at the College, and the many community members who attend performances every semester.

SUNY Potsdam's Performing Arts Building will offer multiple performance spaces, including a 350-seat proscenium theatre, a 200-seat black box theatre, and a 200-seat dance performance hall.

The light-infused lobby with its adjacent café will serve as an "arts avenue" displaying student works, while providing a variety of seating areas for socializing and collaborating. In addition, the arts avenue will double as a special events space and reception area, providing space for pre-performance and intermission activities. The lobby will also provide students with a convenient weather-protected connection from the building's southeast entry to The Crane School of Music at Bishop Hall.

The building's innovative educational resources will feature laboratories for education, digital, audio, design, drafting and lighting, allowing students to learn and explore various art forms. The facility will also feature movement studios for dance and theater as well as a recording studio, scene shop and costume shop. A full complement of performer support spaces, including dressing rooms and a green room, will also be provided.

"Our students break ground every day. They explore, they discover, uncover and search for truth and meaning. They are the real impetus for the new building. Their creativity, dedication, artistic excellence -- this is what inspires us to create 21st century spaces where new collaborations, new kinds of art-making, new technologies are at hand for them," said Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance Kimberly Bouchard. "This is the real investment that the State of New York is making -- a well-educated, creative force of young people whose work soars like the sweeping lines of the new building."

The design of the Performing Arts Building signals SUNY Potsdam's continued commitment to sustainability. It will meet the requirements necessary to achieve a minimum of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's (LEED) Silver certification.

"The beauty of the St. Lawrence Valley inspired us in our design thinking," said architect Norman Pfeiffer. "The angled exterior panels set against the linear terra cotta tiles pay homage to the majestic striated rock outcroppings and ledges seen throughout the North Country, while the undulating roof blankets the disparate volumes of space below, much like snow drifts belie what lay beneath. Inside, the colors reflect those of fall leaves, mimicking the beauty of the region's waterways."

To learn more about the Performing Arts Building and view architect's renderings, visit www.potsdam.edu/about/artscampus/performingartsbuilding.

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Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

-www.potsdam.edu-

Posted Friday April 29, 2011 at 07:30 pm by SUNY Potsdam
Last Updated Monday May 02, 2011 at 06:55 pm