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| April 2004
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| CAMPUS
NEWS |
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| New Katzen Arts Center Taking Shape at Ward Circle
Already, the main art gallery is framed, the three-level underground parking deck has been poured, and the sculpture garden deck is in place, says Jerry Gager, director of AU’s Facilities Planning and Development. “The curved concrete wall of the gallery is approximately 75 percent complete. By the end of May, more of the entire building will be visible, including the performance area; the academic wing, which includes classrooms, studios, practice rooms, and faculty offices; and the rotunda,” says Gager. “By the middle of June, we expect the gallery to be fully formed… and the construction team will add French limestone overtop the curved concrete,” he adds.
"The art gallery space will be the first completed, and we're considering using it for pre-opening exhibitions and events," says Mary Kopper, director of the Campaign for the Arts and an alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences. Scheduled for completion in spring 2005, the state-of-the-art building will house an impressive 30,000 square-foot gallery to exhibit the Katzen and Watkins collections, student art, and special exhibitions. Three performance spaces for music, dance, and drama will connect the gallery with the academic wing. Newly arrived contemporary art critic and historian Barbara Rose will work closely with CAS Dean Kay Mussell to establish a new contemporary arts program in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, graphic design, music, and dance. For
more information about the Katzen Arts Center – including a live
Web cam of the site under construction, renderings of what various areas
will look like, floor plans, and naming opportunities, visit: http://www.american.edu/katzen. |
Heads up! If you’re one of the more than 30,000 alumni who live
in the D.C. area, perhaps you’ve seen one of the cranes moving overhead
as you were driving by Ward Circle at the site of the future 
It
may sound funny, but Gager says he’s perhaps most excited to simply
see the digging of the large hole completed after a year of very wet weather.
“Now, we’re thrilled to see the walls forming,” says
Gager, who will celebrate his 20-year anniversary with AU this summer.
Construction of the arts center has progressed enough that walk-throughs
began in April, and Dr. Katzen was among the first to take the tour.