Slippery Rock University's new art building officially opens at ribbon-cutting ceremony

Slippery Rock University's new $1.25-million Art Sculpture Building opened November 4 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in the building’s main lecture hall starting at 3:30 p.m. The building, which was planned to be built starting in the summer of 2009, now gives students a larger and more efficient facility for creating works in clay, metal, wood and other materials, says Thomas Como, SRU art department chair and professor.

“One of the things you see through the building are efforts to address green issues. So, we have a dormer up above that brings in natural light and we have energy-efficient fluorescent lights on a timer, so they go off after a few hours when not in use,” Como said.

Thomas Como discussed the features of the new Art Sculpture Building with those in attendance to the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the official opening of the building.

The educational benefits include high-tech Internet connections, a lecture hall and new computers with three-dimensional applications.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was “nontraditional” and was a surprise to everyone who attended the event, Como said. Como and his fellow speakers at the event used a welder’s torch to cut through a long metal pole.

Como and his fellow speakers, who included a senior art student at Slippery Rock University and President Robert Smith, helped hold the metal pole for the "ribbon-cutting" ceremony, along with Bill Williams, the Provost of Slippery Rock University.

President Robert Smith and Thomas Como pose for a photo opportunity at the official opening of SRU's new art building.

The 5,100-square foot facility, which is located across from the President's House, includes a woodworking shop, welding and casting room and a main lecture hall that doubles as a sculpture classroom, said Como. The woodworking shop includes mounted saws and sanders, while a blacksmith forge is located in the welding room. One of the best features if the building, Como said, is the loading dock used to bring large materials into the shop. Como now also has an office in the building.

President Robert Smith talked to the audience about the building's importance to both the students and the university alike.

“We also have something that is really exciting, which is air conditioning in this central space. It’s really nice when you’re casting metal at 2300 degrees in the summer to come in here for some climate control,” said Como of the building’s new features.

A Prometheus unit, which is connected to the Internet, allows professors to share images and connect to off-campus sites to further explain various art concepts. Three-dimension modeling on computers show the students images of sculptures to help them conceive and create new ideas. Students are then able to practice what they learn in the classroom environment as a result.