THE SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS

The School of Fine Arts since 1922 has occupied practically the
complete south side of the center section of Frank Strong Hall--on four
floors, plus all the space on both east ami west wings on the fourth
floor, with four rooms on the north side of the central section (fourth
floor) as well. A new Fine Arts Building, placed probably on the western
side of the campus, would release all this space for administrative of-
fices and classwork in other schools.

With the steady growth in the school, every inch of available
space has been utilized to carry on overflow classes in art and music.
Studios have been divided to allow for needed office space and conference
rooms. In the Department of Design, not only has all room been utilized
but the corridors have been partitioned off for the placing of looms,
student lockers, and exhibition space, and certain corners in the corri-
dors this year are being built into rooms for storage of materials. Much
the same situation exists in the Department of Drawing ani Painting, lo-
cated in the east wing of the building. Two rooms in Hoch Auditorium are
being utilized now for music practice rooms. One member of the music fac-
ulty has no studio for private lessons. |

The assignment of the School to these quarters from the very first
was understood to be a temporary one. The partitions in practically all
the studios leading out into the main corridors on first and second floors
were made of the lichtest kind of paper board, allowing almost all the
sounds to permeate the whole corridor. No soundproof construction what-
ever was placed in the walls of the twenty practice rooms on the third
floor. The result is that work of the other departments and classrooms
is necessarily disturbed and hindered.

About ten years ago when a regular buildins program was under con-
sideration, the School of Fine Arts building stood near the top of the list.
At the suggestion of the Board of Regents, the Fine Arts building took a
lower position on the program in order to allow the medical building first
place. The depression has necessarily caused postponement of the program
up to this time.

Zype of Building Needed. The School of Fine Arts needs a building
capable of taking care of the oufstanding work being done in music and
art. The building should be one calculated not only to house adequately
the university program in the fine arts, but also the building in itself
should be a shrine or state center for the best expression of the fine arts.

Such a building should be of the latest soundproof construction.

The music department should have at least 20 private studios, 30 practice
rooms (at least six of which should be equipped with grand pianos to per-
mit the right kind of practice in the last two years of the many talented
graduates in this field), 6 large classrooms for music Classes, a listen-
ing room for radio 2nd phonographic reproductions in music, large and ade-
quate rehearsal rooms for the glee clubs ami other choral and instrumental
groups, a sizeable department library room for study ani the housing of hun-
dreds of music scores and musical literature, and adequate and roomy admin-
istrative offices. The whole building should be planned around a ground-
floor auditorium to seat about 1500 people, a size hall now greatly needed

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