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From Essential to Inspiration

Apr 4, 2022

How the New Center for the Arts is Transforming Student Experiences at Valley City State University

Center for the Arts outdoorWhat started as an idea at Valley City State University has become a reality. The Center for the Arts building is open for classes, and students participating in art or music have a new place to call home.

“The students are very comfortable in the classrooms, happy and excited,” President Alan LaFave said. “We wanted to provide a space that would be welcoming and help our faculty deliver the highest possible educational experiences. We wanted to create a venue that could be used by the community. We needed a hub for cutting-edge technology and innovation for our students.”

The new space achieves those goals, LaFave said. The building not only enhances the student experience now but will generate a place for music and arts programs to thrive and grow.

honeycomb stained glass artwork“I see it becoming a beehive of activity,” he said. “This can be a place for developing skills that help students improve their craft, whether it’s visual arts or performing arts. It will inspire creative activity.”

Freshman music education major Jayden Moser agreed.

“There are so many new opportunities as a musician here,” the Jamestown, N.D., student said. “I can do a lot more in this building, and it is just amazing.”

Moser said she appreciates the ability to adjust the acoustic tuning in many of the rooms and having identified spaces to practice and improve.

“I love spending my time here,” she said smiling. “I am here all of the time because the environment is very welcoming. It is just a really great place to be.”

Providing a welcoming and inspiring space was one of the main goals for the center.

“The Center for the Arts is not only a beautiful, spectacular facility, it’s also very practical and usable,” LaFave said. “The classrooms are flexible spaces that can be used for many different types of educational experiences.”

Incorporating flexible classrooms with natural light was a priority for Angela Mircsov, art department chair.

“We focused on having natural light for creating artworks” she said. “We wanted to design safe, clean studios to teach students in the most professional way possible.”

printmakingVCSU has students working with 2D, 3D, 4D and digital works. Creating art in the new space has been inspiring, Mircsov said.

“Ceramics and other classes have natural light and it creates an openness for the students to create,” she said. “The printmaking studio has presses, and a beautiful view of campus.”

There is also dedicated space for three upcoming seniors to focus on their creative works and develop materials for their senior art show.

“Having the proper lighting and room to create helps our students learn differently,” Mircsov said. “I am hoping students will take inspiration from this space and other departments and community members see all the possibilities of collaborating with our disciplines.”

Junior art education major Nicole Hurt said creating in the new building has been a great experience.

“There is more room to breathe,” the Hillsboro, N.D., student said. “It’s nice to have a space to do my work and overall it’s been great.”

Hurt said she spends the majority of her time in the digital design and computer lab. She also has access to the senior studio as she begins preparing materials for her art show.

This building just feels different,” Hurt said. “It’s more open and welcoming. It is nice to have a place to call our own.”

Hurt’s classmate Mitchell Silkman of Waite Park, Minn., agreed that the space feels different. “This is a place for us, as a university, to act on the numerous opportunities we have at our fingertips,” the senior said. “This is a place where stagnate ideas can become a reality.”

Silkman also utilizes the senior art studio space. He is preparing for a senior art show this spring.

Mitchell Silkman
Mitchell Silkman

“The space feels much different. We have more space physically and mentally for creative minds to flourish,” Silkman said.

Watching students flourish in the warmth of the new building has been inspiring for Jerrold Heide, music department chair. The practice rooms are comfortable and students are spending more time in the building.

“We have more students scheduling practice room time, and we are seeing an increase of collaboration between students as well,” he said.

Also, students can perform in places with full control over the acoustical elements of the room.

“We can control the sound in rehearsal spaces so it matches the performance spaces perfectly,” Heide said. “It removes the need for last-minute adjustment and allows us to do more and engage students to their full potential.”

In mid-February, Heide conducted the first ensemble concert in the Performance Hall.

“It’s the perfect size,” he said. “It’s large enough to meet the capacity needs, but small enough to maintain the intimate feel with a crowd in the hall. You can feel the intensity from the applause and that makes a performance more interactive,” Heide said.

Music faculty have been utilizing the acoustically-designed practice rooms, larger areas for group practice, choral hall and band room. Practicing in a room that is very similar to the performance venue allows instructors and performers the chance to focus on the music and not the logistics.

“With the Center for the Arts, the Performance Hall is unparalleled in our region. The quality of the facility and the capacity for growth allow us to expand the number of students participating in music, but also the quality of music we create.”

“The building creates a sense of positivity and confidence that is noticeable,” Heide said. “This building allows the focus to shift to what is possible.”

male student playing guitar/singing
Joseph Munowenyu, VCSU student, practicing with ensemble.

Music student and elementary education major Tanner Douville of Twin Valley, Minn., said he feels more confident in his musical abilities because of the Center for the Arts.

“With the new instruments and practice rooms it is easier to feel more confident in myself and the music department,” the sophomore said. Douville said he spends most of his time in the practice rooms or social areas of the building and really enjoys spaces to collaborate.

“I feel like I have more of a connection with my fellow classmates,” he said. “We all have more space to breathe.”

The move into the new building began in earnest in January of this year. Through the fall semester last year, music students were primarily found at Foss Hall and art students worked in various lab and art spaces in McCarthy Hall.

In 2009 and 2011, floods prompted the building of new flood protection systems in Valley City, and Foss Hall was on the wrong side of the flood wall.

Work to build a new Center for the Arts was underway for years but finally became a reality on May 2, 2019. Gov. Doug Burgum signed Senate Bill No. 2297, providing $32 million for the new space. In less than two months, construction had started and the building process was underway.

“There was a lot of external support that came from a practical point of view.” LaFave said.

Any flood impact, even a small one, could greatly damage expensive music equipment like grand pianos, electronics and instruments. It was essential to replace the space Foss Hall provided.

Choir performing in performance hall
Mid-Winter Choral Concert in the performance hall.

“The process to make this a reality was very collaborative,” LaFave said. “It took a lot of effort from a lot of people, and I could not be more proud of being a part of that process.”

Now, with the building in use and spaces being filled with arts and music, LaFave said he is enthusiastic about the future.

“I’m most excited about what this means for our future,” LaFave said. “The growth, collaboration and opportunities the CFA will provide are tremendous.”