Fine Arts Center (Massachusetts)

The Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (FAC) is an arts center located just north of downtown Amherst, Massachusetts and contains a concert hall and a contemporary art gallery. The building is a 646-foot-long bridge of studio art space, raised up 30 feet from the ground creating a monumental gateway for a campus.[3]

The Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Address151 Presidents Drive
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
Amherst, Massachusetts
United States
Coordinates42.386280°N 72.525398°W / 42.386280; -72.525398
OwnerUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
Capacity1000 - 1,850 Concert Hall[1][2]
Current useEducational, Visual, and Performing Arts Programs
Construction
Opened1975
Years active1975 - Present
ArchitectKevin Roche[3] and John Dinkeloo
Website
https://fac.umass.edu

The Fine Arts Center serves as a cultural library and regional resource center for the citizens of the Pioneer Valley and the students and faculty from the University of Massachusetts. It also attracts scholars, faculty, students, and families interested in relocating to a community with this type of rich environment.

History

In the late 1960s, Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo were asked to design first-class art, music, and theater spaces for the sons and daughters of working men and women of Massachusetts.[3] The structure was constructed between 1972 and 1974 and opened in 1975.

The Fine Arts Center in 2014.

Description

The Fine Arts Center is a 646-foot-long and 66 foot-high,[4] Brutalist, poured stereo metric concrete, partially bridge-like structure, which are reflected in the nearby pond.[5]

This venue is accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mission statement

The Fine Arts Center seeks to engage and inspire the campus and regional communities in the arts through a broad array of exemplary performances, exhibitions, and educational programs.

Since its founding in 1975, the Fine Arts Center has been a central force in the cultural, social and academic life of the University, the Five College campuses, and the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. The Fine Arts Center's combination of educational, visual, and performing arts programs not only makes it unique, but also helps meet the diverse needs of scholars, faculty, students, alumni and the broader community.[6]

Performance venues

Concert Hall

The 2000 seat concert hall within the Fine Arts building was the main venue on the campus before the Mullins Center was opened in 1993.

The hall is still active with performances by a variety of musical genres and other acts from around the world. Of the 30,000 people who attended shows in 2012, 68 percent were from Hampshire County, 13 percent were from Franklin County and 6 percent came from Hampden County. The other 4,000 attendees came from southern New Hampshire and Vermont, the area surrounding Hartford, Connecticut, Worcester County and the Berkshires.[2]

Musical acts and shows are attended by a collection of college students, local residents and families.[2]

This venue features:

  • Dance floor
  • Dressing rooms
  • Fly space
  • Green room
  • Loading dock
  • Movie screen/projection capabilities
  • Orchestra pit
  • Piano
  • Sound system
  • WiFi

Visual art museums and galleries
  • University Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Augusta Savage Gallery
  • Hampden Gallery
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References
  1. "Meetings and Events". Hotel UMass. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
  2. Shores, Chris (2013-11-07). "The world's stage". The Recorder (Massachusetts newspaper). Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  3. Page, Max (2014-03-24). "The ideals behind UMass Amherst's stained concrete". The Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  4. Manfredi, John (1982). The Social Limits of Art. University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-0870233722. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  5. Leuthäuser, Gabriele (2001). Architecture in the Twentieth Century. 1. Taschen. p. 432. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  6. "ABOUT THE FAC?". Retrieved 2014-05-07.
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