Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Eastern Michigan University to Start Construction on New Arts Complex

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/20/23

Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., will soon begin construction on a new $7.5-million arts complex, according to a university news release. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Windgate Arts Complex, part of the university’s School of Art and Design, is scheduled for Thursday, April 20.

The facility will measure in at 24,000 square feet and is intended to be a collaborative, creative environment for making art. It will play home to spaces for sculpture, ceramics, 3D design, digital fabrication, and metalsmithing. The university will also partner with local organizations like the Riverside Arts Center to offer summer workshops to the community at large.

Funding for the project is coming in part from a $3.2-million investment from the arts advocacy group Windgate Foundation, according to local news.

“The Windgate Foundation and EMU matching grant, along with the initial matching grant, will allow our students and faculty the opportunity to work in one unified 3D Arts Complex,” said Sandra Murchison, EMU professor and Director of the School of Art and Design, in a news release. “The new space will offer sufficient crossover between disciplines to create the types of mixed media works that we aim to teach our students to craft.”

The facility will be located in the northwest corner of campus and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, according to local news.

“It has been a genuine thrill to see this dream evolve into reality for the School of Art and Design and the EMU community,” said Murchison.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.