An open house was held October 5 to celebrate the opening of the new Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts (WKCFA) MFA Art Studios in refurbished space at Eastland Mall.
Tyler Lotz, director of the Wonsook Kim School of Art at Illinois State University, described the leased space as the culmination of a project whose goal was to hold on to what was good in the old studio location—a house that required expensive maintenance in downtown Bloomington—and to identify and add what was missing.
“Facilities, Planning, Design, and Construction worked with the mall to keep what we had and add what we needed,” Lotz said. “It’s a nice, bright space. It’s clean and communal and spacious, and our students aren’t on top of each other.”
Lotz was grateful for the support of Interim President Aondover Tarhule and the leadership of Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts Dean Jean Miller.
“Dean Jean Miller had a big part in making this all happen,” Lotz said.
He singled out Laura Primozic George, facilities coordinator for the Wonsook Kim School of Art, for her hard work. He said David Gill, director of Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction, and his staff were instrumental in the project’s success. In addition, Lotz praised his predecessor Mike Wille for getting the project started.
At 10,000-square-feet, the studio has been open for about a month. It is also temporary space, Lotz said. He said the long-term goal is to return to campus as part of the multimillion-dollar renovation of the WKCFA complex on the southeast corner of the Quad.
Located in the south wing of the mall, near the old Bergner’s store, the new facility will occasionally host events but is not public space, Lotz said.
“I also want to thank the folks at Eastland Mall for being partners with us on this,” he said. “While it’s really great to have this opportunity to be out in the community, it’s important to note that this is not open to the public. This is classroom and instructional space.”
Leading a tour, Primozic George pointed out critique space where students will display their work twice a year under the discerning eyes of faculty members. She made stops in the woodshop, the lounge, and noted that each MFA student will now have their own studio space.
“There are 20 studios for them,” she said. “And all our MFA students are here: painters, printmakers, glass artists, drawing students, and photographers—they’re all here.”
Alan Atkins, a third-year MFA student from Birmingham, Alabama, is among that group. The focus of his art is on drawing and illustration, both digital and traditional, and much of it celebrates Black culture.
“I try to shed light on populations who are misrepresented or not always portrayed properly,” he said.
Atkins is also hard at work creating a comic series in his new studio.
“Being here sometimes, it’s pretty inspiring, and it motivates me,” he said. “It’s nice. A lot of people can’t say they have a studio to work in, so I’m grateful to have this space.”
Wille said Lotz did a great job seeing the project through to this day.
“The credit should go to Tyler,” Wille said. “And the buy-in from students and the whole University has been fantastic. Plus, the health and safety of this space (compared to the old location) is all positive.”
In July, the University’s Board of Trustees approved a resolution that declared the old Art Studio Building, which included the former MFA Studio, as surplus real estate that could be sold. The property is a complex of three buildings on Douglas Street near downtown Bloomington.
With the new space at the mall identified, the property on Douglas Street was decommissioned later in the summer. The building that housed the art studio was prone to flooding during rainstorms, incurred costly damage to its interior, and was a threat to damage students’ art projects.
After a rainy start to the day, Lotz reminded guests that if they were in the old studio downtown at this moment, everyone would be standing in water. His remarks were met with applause and some laughter.
“This is such a wonderful, bright space for everybody to work in,” Lotz said. “Thank you so much everyone.”
