Every college at Illinois State is built on a legacy of excellence, but none has a more natural ability to showcase student work than the College of Fine Arts. The Schools of Art, Music, and Theatre (including the program area of dance), and the Arts Technology Program consistently create opportunities for artists in training to awe audiences.
Over the past four decades the college has built a national reputation for academic excellence—including in teacher education—and in the process has become an integral part of the University’s daily life. The scope of the college’s student, faculty, and alumni talent will be showcased in the months ahead as the college marks its 40th anniversary.
More than 400 performances are planned throughout the celebration year, which began this summer and will continue through the spring of 2011. Alumni are invited to participate and will have an active role in many of the events, including an art show exhibiting the work of graduates for one month beginning in September.
An alumni commissioned-works concert is slated for October, with an alumni film festival planned during the week of Homecoming. The first College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Homecoming weekend, as well as a gala that focuses on the college. The School of Music is also planning commissions of alumni work and a band auction. Several performances and productions will be offered, including the 55th Annual Madrigal Dinners.
Alumni of the college will be featured throughout the year. Jon Pounds ’70, M.F.A. ’71, will be the keynote speaker at the Homecoming luncheon event. Judith Ivey ’73, L.L.D. ’00, will visit campus during the spring semester. Theatre of Ted, a Registered Student Organization, will bring back a variety of alums and work to raise scholarship funds.
Beyond celebrating the past and present, the anniversary year also creates a unique opportunity to look to the future. The plan for new facilities will be shared widely, as excitement grows over the $54.3 million project that will allow the college to consolidate from nine locations to one.
The project calls for demolition of Centennial West and Center for the Visual Arts to make way for a new building and significant remodeling of Centennial East. Multiple donor opportunities exist with the project.
To learn more about the college’s anniversary year and how you can get involved as a participant or donor, go to the College of Fine Arts website. Find out what you can do to guarantee continued excellence in the arts at Illinois State!
