The Center for the Performing Arts, now under construction at Eastern Kentucky University, will be the subject of a presentation at the fifth annual Best Practices in Building University/City Relations Conference, hosted by the International Town & Gown Association and Iowa State University.
The event, to be conducted June 1-3 in Ames, Iowa, will include “Performing and Visual Arts as Community Development: A Community Partnership Success Story,” to be presented by EKU President Doug Whitlock; Katherine Eckstrand, executive director of the Center; Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson; and Cheryl Stone, former director of the Center for Economic Development, Entrepreneurship and Technology at EKU. Marc Whitt, associate vice president for public relations at the University, will moderate.
“The selection process was highly competitive, given that the review committee could only accept half of the proposals received for this year’s conference,” said Julie Kieffer, conference coordinator.
This year’s conference, with the theme “Sustainable Partnerships for the Future,” is expected to draw hundreds of attendees from across the nation and across a wide range of professions to discuss the dynamics and importance of results-driven town-gown relationships and projects.
“What makes this event unique is the cross-disciplinary nature of the conversations,” said Kim Griffo, ITGA executive director. “Only at (this) conference will you find elected officials and professionals, campus and city planners, mayors, university presidents, law enforcement officials and students. The ITGA strives to promote an environment of deliberative dialogue among students, faculty, staff, elected officials, decision makers and the public at large, and the conference energy empowers the creative development and implementation of innovative solutions.”
The funding strategy for the Center for the Performing Arts at EKU was unique because it joined state, county and university resources. A 13-member board of directors consisting of representatives of EKU, the city of Richmond, city of Berea and Madison County, was established to oversee design and construction. Eckstrand was named executive director in November 2009.
When complete in mid-2011, EKU’s center will be the finest such facility in the state, according to Whitlock, “and one of the finest in the multi-state region.” The 93,000-square-foot Center will house a 2,000-seat “Broadway-capable, Broadway-quality” theater with a “fly system” and a 60-foot by 24-foot stage proscenium, as well as a configurable “black-box” theater with seating up to 250. It is located adjacent to the University’s new Business & Technology Center.
The International Town & Gown Association was chartered in 2008 and now has more than 200 institutional members, both campuses and communities. EKU and the city of Richmond hold a joint membership in the Association.
“We commend EKU and the City of Richmond for serving as a national example of successful partnerships and shared leadership between colleges and communities,” Griffo said.
