Enhancing the Arts

A comprehensive, university-wide effort to enhance the presence and practice of the arts at Virginia Tech, the Arts Initiative will lay the path to new ways of learning at the infinite intersections between the arts and other disciplines.

The Arts Initiative will make substantial investments in the arts that initiate and nurture dynamic collaborations on campus and beyond, enabling the university to

• strengthen its performance, visual, and creative arts programs and enhance programming and scholarship university-wide.
• attract professional artists to perform or exhibit their work on campus.
• design models that advance creative and critical-thinking skills in secondary school (P-12) learning environments.
• act as a catalyst for economic and community development, driving tourism, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
• establish dynamic community and regional partnerships among government, business, and citizen groups.

New Facilities

Long committed to educating the whole person, Virginia Tech has designated new and renovated space for the creation of the Center for the Arts, comprised of

• a state-of-the-art performance hall with a 1,300-seat capacity.
• a visual arts gallery that promotes curatorial partnerships with arts organizations, including the Art Museum of Western Virginia.
• renovations to Shultz Hall for multidisciplinary use:
  • a creative technologies lab for cutting-edge teaching, learning, and research.
  • a collaborative studio for multimedia art installations and performances.
  • support space for the performance hall and the visual arts gallery.

To reach these goals, the university is enriching its arts programming and facilities, including

• an experimental theatre for the Department of Theatre Arts’ smaller productions, and renovations to Henderson Hall for arts faculty office space.

• enhanced academic space in the Armory for the Department of Art and Art History.

• development of digital sound and visual animation labs.

New Executive Director for Center for the Arts

• Ruth Waalkes named executive director of the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech

Future Plans

The initiative’s future plans include

• a new Center for Creative Technologies in the Arts to facilitate transdisciplinary research in support of P-12, undergraduate, and graduate education.
• upgrades to performance and teaching spaces in Squires Student Center.
• additional outdoor sculpture on campus to engage the community and visually highlight the arts on campus.
• a visiting artists program to bring national and international artists to campus for residencies, workshops, and other educational opportunities.