Arts center fought through growing pains but dorm creates optimism
Nov. 6—Ten years after it began, officials are optimistic about the future of the Alabama Center for the Arts but acknowledge challenges that have included the at times awkward merging of two colleges' programs and a pandemic.
A partnership of Calhoun Community College and Athens State University, the downtown Decatur center opened in 2012 with fanfare and excitement from local leaders.
The two colleges, the city of Decatur and the Morgan County Commission combined with a $10 million investment into Phase 1, a visual arts center, on Second Avenue Northeast.
Two years later, construction began on a 44,000-square-foot theater and music center building that cost $13.5 million. This second phase, opened in 2016, includes a black-box theater, a recording studio, rehearsal rooms and a keyboard room.
State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, was involved in helping obtain state funding for the arts center.
"I would have liked the ACA to grow faster and stronger than it has, but I have to remind myself that this is a marathon and not a sprint," Orr said. "In one sense, we started a school from scratch, and this took a lot of readjusting on the part of existing faculties."
Chairwoman of Athens State's Visual and Performing Arts Department, Pamela Elmore has been with the college since 1981, and she is one of the few arts professors remaining from when the center opened.
Elmore said everyone was optimistic a decade ago at the opening that growth would occur more quickly. But they didn't take into account that the two-college partnership working in one space was such a new concept that it would take longer for the center to find its footing, she said.
"There was no model for us to go by," Elmore said.
ACA dean proposed
Orr said trying to coordinate two colleges has been a challenge. He said he has asked the presidents to appoint a campus dean to manage the academics at the ACA and promote the center to the public, a step he thinks would strengthen the arts center.
"I believe we will have that person who wakes up every day thinking how they can make the ACA better as opposed to focusing on his or her particular school," Orr said. "We need someone who is the face of the center."
Jennifer Bunnell, the arts center's chief executive officer for nine years, said the ACA "is getting there. We're getting better. We are growing."
Donna Estill, dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Calhoun, said it was also an adjustment for the students, who were used to having all their classes on one campus and now have to go to two different campuses. For example, they might have to take their core classes at the Decatur campus in Limestone County or the Huntsville campus and then go to downtown Decatur for their arts classes.
"One thing that has helped in this area is students are taking more online classes," Estill said.
Elmore said a peacemaker for the two colleges as they worked out facility usage issues was they found that Calhoun wanted the morning classes at the center while ASU preferred afternoon and evening classes.
However, it didn't help the center that both colleges' leadership changed. The two presidents who were a major part of starting the project are no longer at the schools. Marilyn Beck retired as Calhoun president in 2014, and Bob Glenn resigned from Athens State in 2018.
Elmore said they "never got any resistance" from the new leaders or instructors on continuing to push the center toward success. She said they bought into five-year and 10-year plans developed at the kickoff of the center.
"This document still exists and we follow it," Elmore said. "But it's about time to make a new one."
Despite the center's challenges, at least two former students are happy with the education they received. Chris Wade, of Huntsville, attended the center as an ASU student from 2013 to 2015.
Wade earned a graphic design degree but looks back more fondly on the painting and drawing classes that he uses now at his shop at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment in Huntsville.
"I learned how to paint correctly and it took my painting to another level," Wade said. "I found a direction for my art."
He described his art "as surrealism and really dreamy stuff. Most of it involves aerospace."
Carson Phillips, of Pulaski, Tennessee, is working on her art education degree with Athens State. She called the atmosphere created by her ACA instructors "positive."
Phillips did her first semester of student teaching at Athens High School and now she is a student teacher at Frances Nungester and Oak Park elementary schools with art teacher Tammie Clark.
Elmore said one goal accomplished is ASU started a bachelor's of fine arts degree. They also want to finish the accreditation process. The accreditation visit is scheduled for fall of 2023, she said.
The two colleges joined forces to create a graphics design and multimedia program that carries the student from year 1 to graduation, she said.
Elmore said a goal they are close to achieving is getting approval for a master's of fine arts degree. Athens State's Board of Trustees approved the master's degree last week, so now the plan goes to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education for consideration.
The one thing the long-range plans didn't include is enrollment goals. Elmore said these goals weren't set because "we wanted to focus on the quality of the programs."
However, enrollment growth has been slow. It has hovered between 300 and 500 overall since both phases were fully open. Currently, Calhoun has 356 students at the center while ASU has 87, according to the colleges.
The center is still rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic that began in the spring of 2020. Athens State had grown to 174 students enrolled at the center in fall 2019, double its current enrollment.
"COVID hit us pretty hard because it's hard to teach art when it's not in person," Elmore said.
Estill agreed that COVID hurt the center, but added that she "doesn't think it hurt us as much as it did other colleges." She said Calhoun is seeing more students return to campus as the pandemic recedes.
Seeking instructors
Estill said one challenge that has limited the growth of the arts center is the difficulty of finding instructors, particularly adjunct teachers, because they have to have a master's degree in art. Calhoun has eight full-time instructors for 57 classes at the arts center.
"It's a real challenge to meet the needs of the students," Estill said. "But we've found that we add students every time we add an instructor."
Calhoun recently added a full-time music instructor and a full-time theater instructor. The college now has two theater instructors. It also has a new band performance instructor and a Calhoun Chorale director.
Elmore said the addition of a bachelor's in fine arts degree includes heavy concentrations in painting and drama, ceramics, graphic design and multimedia. They're also working with the computer science professors to create a web design class, she said.
Dave Ragsdale has been Athens State's dean of Arts and Sciences for two months.
"I found it to be an impressive facility," Ragsdale said of the center. "I love that there's a buzz and excitement in the buildings. There's room for growth and expansion of our offerings."
Elmore said both arts center buildings were built with room for growth. For example, she said they just completed a green room area for videography out of an unfinished room.
Ragsdale said the visual arts have dominated the center's visibility but he sees the music program quickly expanding. He said they're also adding a lot of technologies like augmented and visual reality, audio and music recording and technical effects for theater that he thinks will become popular.
Bunnell and Elmore said one goal of the arts center is to create more community involvement. Elmore said they put this goal off initially but community involvement is increasing.
Bunnell said the ACA now partners with the River Clay Fine Arts Festival, 3rd Friday in downtown Decatur and the Festival of the Cranes. She added that more area secondary schools are bringing students to the university.
Orr said he is working with Calhoun and Decatur City Schools to start dual enrollment opportunities and create an arts academy for high school students.
"Studies show that there are students who thrive when taken out of the ordinary school environment and placed with their peers who want to excel in the arts," Orr said.
Perhaps the biggest reason for optimism is the construction of the $15.6 million Alabama Center for the Arts residence hall at First Avenue and Johnston Street Southeast. The three-floor, 43,474-square-foot residence hall will have 49 apartments with 11 studio units, 19 one-bedroom and 19 two-bedroom units. The hall is scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2023.
Estill said the dorm will extend the arts center's reach farther out into north Alabama and even through other parts of the state.
"There are students who live in south Huntsville and it's a two-hour drive (roundtrip to the arts center). They don't see that it's necessary to come to Calhoun," Estill said.
Estill said some parents don't want their students living in an apartment but they're fine with the safety of a college dorm.
"I think we're in the right place for a huge amount of growth," Estill said.
— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.
