Art is a powerful way to tell the story of our environment and our planet, giving environmental stewards a way to connect with audiences far and wide. Throughout the summer, Unity College’s Center for the Performing Arts has been undergoing renovations that will reimagine the space for students when they return this fall.

“As important as it is for our students to understand current environmental issues they are helping the world face, it’s just as important that they learn how to best express and communicate that information in a way that the public can easily connect with and understand emotionally as well as intellectually,” said Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury. “Through media like documentary film, photography, sculpting, and more, our students can reach people like never before. This new space gives them all the tools they’ll need for their craft to grow along with a space where they can develop a strong cohort for creativity.”

“I also want to recognize the group who provided the imagination for the project and saw it through to completion, Dean Peter deHart, Chief Academic Officer Erika Latty, Chief Facilities Maintenance Officer Jim Kauppila, and art faculty Deanna Witman, and Ben Potter,” said Dr. Khoury.

The renovation includes a new media lab, which will give students a dedicated space for graphic art, photography, documentary film, and new media. There will also be a new space for sculpting and ceramics, faculty offices, a paint studio, and additional classrooms on both floors. The Leonard Craig Gallery and auditorium will continue to be used as they were prior to the renovations.

“The renovations at the UCCPA will give the arts at Unity a new home and stronger sense of identity. The new UCCPA will serve our students by concentrating the fine art department facilities so that students can see each other at work and experience how the creative effort is expressed in other classes and varied art media,” said Benjamin Potter, Professor of Art at Unity College. “The space is flexible and integrates new media such as digital imaging and film with traditional disciplines such as painting and ceramics. The Leonard Craig Gallery will also be integrated more effectively as an exhibition and teaching space.”

Members of the community and media are invited to an open house on Thursday, July 19, from 4-6 p.m., to tour the new space and talk with staff on what the renovations mean for Unity College students and the curriculum. Light refreshments will be served.