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UNR's New Arts Building Will Have Museum, Recital Hall

Alexa Ard

The University of Nevada, Reno is getting a new fine arts building. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss reports.

With approval from the Board of Regents for the Nevada System of Higher Education earlier this month, UNR can now move forward with planning and construction. The school has already raised more than $19 million dollars from private donors to cover the $20 million price tag, but enough about money.

"Would you like to know what's in the building?" asks Larry Engstrom who directs the school of the arts at UNR. "We have a new art museum which we're thrilled to get on campus and a 300-seat recital hall which will be fantastic for us as it takes the heat of Nightingale Concert Hall, which is currently booked constantly."

Engstrom says the 35,000 square-foot facility will also boast a makerspace with 3-D printers, along with a recording studio and much-needed practice rooms for student musicians. 

But why invest in the arts when the region is experiencing a boom in tech?

"These huge tech companies or Teslas that are coming to town want a vibrant culture for their children, for themselves, for their workers," Engstrom explains. "It's a huge part of any city to have cultural activities available to them."

Engstrom says the goal is for students and faculty to settle into their new digs by 2018.

 

Michelle Billman is a former news director at KUNR Public Radio.
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