The anonymous gifts were made in order for design and construction at the heart of campus to move forward this year.
This weekend, Haverford College President Daniel H. Weiss announced lead gifts totaling $10 million for the renovation of the Old Gym into an innovative new center for visual culture, arts, and media. The gifts were made by anonymous donors in order for design and construction at the heart of campus to move forward this year. This exciting project is now in the design phase and is subject to further development. The remaining funds will be raised as part of Lives That Speak: The Campaign for Haverford that went public on October 25, 2014.
Much like labs for scientific research or language study, the new center will be a laboratory for Haverford students to master digital and visual modes of thought and exchange, and will facilitate innovative study within and across disciplines. Housed in a transformed old gym—a beautiful but underused space at the heart of campus—it will feature more than 19,000 square feet devoted to digital editing labs and sound studios, a hacker/maker space, and a media installation area. In addition, the center will house faculty and staff offices, seminar rooms, flexible classrooms, creative labs, spaces for pop-up exhibitions and project development, and display areas for art and artifacts from Special Collections. There will also be a screening/performance venue with reception area and a multi-purpose lounge for informal gatherings.
“Based on visual arts and architectural design conversations here at Haverford and with national experts, we have crafted an adaptable and responsive space that will enhance Haverford's interdisciplinary offerings in digital media, film, exhibitions, material culture, and 3D fabrication,” says Associate Professor of English Laura McGrane, the Koshland Director of the John B. Hurford '60 Center for the Arts and Humanities.“The new facility will build on the decade-long mission of the Hurford Center to offer increased arts and technological savvy, and foster a liberal arts environment that combines traditional rigor, lively dialogue, and innovative experimentation.”
As fundraising permits, construction is expected to begin in late 2015 with doors opening in spring 2017.
