Architecture for the arts

DARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE espite a recent social media post by a state lawmaker to the contrary, the arts are a thing of beauty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Maybe the lawmaker, who criticized a billboard advertising creative pursuits instead of touting more STEM-related degrees at UA Little Rock, hasn’t had an opportunity to visit the university’s new Windgate Center of Art and Design.

The result of a $20.3 million gift from Siloam Springs-based Windgate Charitable Foundation, the recently opened 65,000-square-foot building is made up of two connected architectural forms with common areas (a vast improvement over the previous situation in which the art and design department was spread across three different buildings).

The studio arts portion is three stories of classrooms focusing on painting, drawing, and photography, plus galleries, a lecture hall, an administration suite, and collection storage. The single-story industrial-style applied design area, loaded with windows, accommodates three-dimensional forms of art such as furniture design, ceramics and blacksmithing.

Both spaces in this energy-efficient structure encourage community partnerships through gallery shows, art festivals, and student instruction. And they’re accessible 24-7 to accommodate varied hours of student inspiration. Isn’t that what a university is all about?

For the curious, there’s a panel discussion with the Center’s building committee—made up of academics as well as the structure’s principal architect— taking place at 6 p.m. today. Perhaps the above-mentioned lawmaker should stop by.