Calvin College Fine Arts Center

The Fine Arts Center(FAC) at Calvin College was one of the original buildings of the new Knollcrest campus. The FAC was opened in 1966 [http://www.calvin.edu/publications/spark/2006/fall/knollcrest.htm "50 Candles for Knollcrest", Spark Magazine, Fall 2006] ] and featured classrooms, rehearsal rooms, offices, a large auditorium, the old Lab Theatre, and theatre shops. Currently, the FAC plays host to the English and Music departments, the Office of Conferences and Campus Events (OCCE), the FAC Auditorium, and a small costume shop [http://www.calvin.edu/map/fac Fine Arts Center, Calvin College] ] . After the construction of the Gezon Auditorium, most Calvin theatre productions moved across campus, while Music Department productions remained in the building, as they do to this day. The old Lab Theatre was located in what are now faculty offices for the English and music departments. The Communications Arts and Sciences department was located in the FAC until the opening of the DeVos Communications Center in 2002. The FAC Auditorium seats approximately 1,000, though with the addition of seats on the stage calipers and stage lift, the capacity is increased to 1207. The auditorium is home to the Calvin Music department events, the January Series, Student Activities Office concerts, Dance Guild, Rangeela, and in the last year, Airband, and Convocation. It is estimated that the FAC has held nearly 20,000 events in its 42 year history [http://www.calvin.edu/publications/spark/2008/summer/fac "Polishing and Old Gem", Spark Magazine, Summer 2008] ] . Three unique features of the auditorium are its well regarded acoustics, nearly silent hydraulic stage lift, and house lighting system. The house lighting system is made up of several thousand individual bulbs and gives the impression of a "starry night," giving a very unique vibe to the auditorium. The auditorium also includes a computerized lighting system, extensive sound system, projection system, and a recording studio. The recording studio has made it possible to broadcast several events including the January Series across the globe.There are currently plans in the works to remodel the FAC auditorium beginning in the spring of 2010. While all of the unique features of the auditorium will remain, its facilities and systems will receive a much needed upgrade [http://www.calvin.edu/campaign/priorities/fac.html Visions and Priorities: Fine Arts Center, Campaign for Calvin College, Calvin College] ] . The last upgrade happened in the 1980s.

References

External Links

[http://www.calvin.edu Calvin College]
[http://www.calvin.edu/academic/english English Department]
[http://www.calvin.edu/academic/music Music Department]
[http://www.calvin.edu/map/fac Fine Arts Center Map and Auditorium seating chart]
[http://www.calvin.edu/admin/occe Office of Conferences and Campus Events]
[http://www.calvin.edu/january The January Series]
[http://www.calvin.edu/admin/sao Student Activities Office]
[http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas Communications Arts and Sciences Department]