Celebrating creativity

Alvernia and GoggleWorks team up to launch bachelor of arts in creativity program

As Levi Landis was wandering through one of the galleries at the GoggleWorks on Wednesday afternoon, April 5, one where artwork for high schoolers from across Berks County was displayed, he ran into a pair of students.

One of them had won an award for the piece he created. Landis, the GoggleWorks’ executive director, asked the talented teen if he was planning on pursuing a career in the arts.

The student seemed surprised by the question. It wasn’t anything he had ever really considered, or even knew was a real option.

Landis, talking to a small group gathered in that same gallery a short time after the encounter, said the student’s response is a pretty familiar one.

“Students hit walls,” he said.

Sometimes it’s the lack of knowledge about what kind of careers the arts can lead to, Landis said. Other times it’s self-limits, with students not believing they have what it takes to make a living making art.

The result, he said, is that bright, artistic futures often fall by the wayside.

“I think that, for whatever reasons, people make compromises,” he said.

The GoggleWorks and Alvernia University are hoping to do something about that.

The art center and college announced Wednesday that they are teaming up to launch a new partnership that celebrates the arts and provides students with a unique opportunity to learn in a dynamic and creative urban environment. The collaboration will allow Alvernia to unveil a new, four-year bachelor of arts in creativity program.

The program is expected to begin in the fall of 2024.

“This partnership with Alvernia University is a testament to the power of the arts to transform lives and communities,” Landis said. “We are honored to work with Alvernia to provide students with a worldclass education that celebrates creativity, innovation and critical thinking.

Together, we will inspire the next generation of artists, makers and leaders.”

Alvernia PresidentElect Dr. Glynis A. Fitzgerald said working with the GoggleWorks is part of the school’s ongoing efforts to spur development and innovation in downtown Reading through its Reading CollegeTowne campus.

“We are thrilled to partner with GoggleWorks Center for the Arts to offer students an unparalleled educational experience that emphasizes the arts, creative thinking and entrepreneurship in downtown Reading,” she said. “This is another example of how intentional partnerships through the Reading CollegeTowne initiative are driving innovation for our region while providing comprehensive educational and career outcomes to our students.”

The new program will feature three concentrations: fine art, games art, and digital music and sound.

Students will be able to use the state-of-the-art facilities and tools at the GoggleWorks and get a chance to work alongside accomplished artists and educators while they explore across materials and disciplines.

The program will incorporate hands-on learning experiences, internships and project-based coursework to prepare students for successful careers in the creative industries. And, students will learn about the business side of the arts, even having opportunities to launch their own businesses.

Nathan Thomas, chairman of Alvernia’s fine and performing arts department, said the idea behind the new program is simple but grandiose.

Pulling a small item from his pocket, he explained to members of the media that it was an IBM selective font

ball. Back when he graduated high school in 1981, he said, it was how you were able to change fonts when printing something.

“This was the height of technology,” he said.

Back then, when the font ball was brand new, people would never have believed that with the click of a mouse computer users today have the access to hundreds of fonts. But thanks to creative people, that seemingly unimaginable future came true.

Thomas wants the new program to create the next generation of creatives who do the same thing.

“We want students to create a future we can’t even imagine yet,” he said. “This is the start of that.”

Exposing students to the GoggleWorks will go a long way in helping that process move forward.

“We hope we can make what we do here on our dynamic campus come to life for them,” Landis said.

For more information on the new program visit alvernia.edu/academics/undergraduate-major/bachelor-arts-creativity.

BILL UHRICH—MEDIANEWS GROUP Alvernia University and the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts have entered into a new agreement that will include a new fine and performing arts degree offered through Alvernia’s Reading campus. Signing the agreement from left are Tod Auman, GoggleWorks Board Chair; Dr. Rodney S. Ridley Sr., O’Pake Institiute for Economic and Entrepreneur Development; Levi Landis, GoggleWorks president and executive director; Dr. Glynis Fitzgerald, Alvernia president-elect; Mary Ellen Well, Alvernia interim provost; and Dr. Nathan Thomas, fine and performing arts director.

Alvernia University and the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts have entered into a new agreement that will include a new fine and performing arts degree offered through Alvernia’s Reading campus. Dr. Nathan Thomas, fine and performing arts director at Alvernia, talks about the new collaboration.

Levi Landis, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts executive director, discusses a partnership announced Wednesday, April 5, with Alvernia University that celebrates the arts and provides students with an opportunity to learn in a creative urban environment.