Richmond Center for Visual Arts Dedicated on Thursday, April 12th

Western Michigan University officially opened the new Richmond Center for Visual Arts (RCVA) with a celebration on Thursday, April 12th. The dedication ceremony featured welcoming remarks from WMU President Diether Haenicke and lead donors Jim W. and Lois I. Richmond among others. Over 400 guests attended the celebration and tours of the fabulous new facility.

This exciting new venue is a major cultural asset to WMU, southwest Michigan, and the entire the Midwest United States.  The center is comprised of spectacular gallery spaces for rotating exhibitions, a gallery for WMU’s permanent collection, and a dedicated student and alumni exhibition space.  The RCVA’s calendar of year-round events will also include a lecture series, outdoor sculptures, videos, and performance art and is designed to enhance learning about and enjoyment of modern and contemporary art.

Next Up: South Kohrman Art Studios!

The Frostic School of Art will also be relocating this year to 88,000 sq. ft. of freshly renovated art studios in South Kohrman Hall. The spacious new art studios emphasize flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration. When combined with the multimedia capabilities offered by the Richmond Center and the recent Innovation Grant for Digital Media in the Performing Arts — housed in the Multimedia Room of the Dorothy U. Dalton Center — WMU promises to be a center for future-oriented visual arts curricula. These 21st century facilities represent an opportunity for professionally active faculty, staff, and students in Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre to envision themselves as collaborators in new research and curricular environments.