Saturday, June 7, 2008

The new/renovated Arts Magnet celebrates its grand re-opening this weekend

By Laura Seewoester

While the new Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BTWHSPVA) renovated school and new annex opened to students this past April, the official grand opening and inaugural festivities take place this weekend. A formal dedication will be hosted by DISD this November.

The building itself is a work of art. The expansion, designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, is intended to be a "factory" to make artists and performers. "This is where artists are made," Cloepfil said. Cloepfil's main inspiration for the building was watching students flourish and find their voices within their disciplines, as well as their general self confidence and composure. "What the arts do for the kids is irrefutable."

While the building itself is made of brick, the structure still holds a feel of transparency, with windows placed specifically to see the new structures in the Dallas Arts District and some of the sky scrapers in Downtown. This surrounds the students by all the cultural institutions in the Arts District, almost as a reminder of why they are there and where they are headed. There is also a feel of transparency within the walls of the new expansion, with floor to ceiling windowed conference rooms and open spaces that allow the students to view classrooms and other floors from the hallways. With its charcoal brick walls and concrete floors, the new structure is almost like a blank palette ready and waiting for strewn paint, hung art and the sound of dancers lightly plodding on the floors of the dance studio.

Photo by Laura Seewoester

Brad Cloepfil and his colleague Chris Bixby (both of Allied Works).

"The building itself is an instrument for the kids to play," Cloepfil said, with the ultimate goal that they learn and play with their new space.

And play they will. With pipe grids for lights hung throughout, nearly every space in the expansion can used as a performance space. The students are sure to use their new art spaces in more ways than even Cloepfil has thought of.

While the expansion portion of the school is brand new, the old historic school house was also renovated, with Dallas' Booziotis & Company heading up the renovations. During renovations they found high ceilings, hidden windows and even a whole theater that turned the old space into something beautiful, grand and creative. The team of architects also played close attention to retain some of the original culture of the Arts Magnet. At the old school, the students often made art and performed in a courtyard they called the "Green Room." The new building still has the "Green Room," but now it's not just any courtyard, it's an amphitheater.

After all the renovations and the brand new expansion, it's no surprise that the grand opening will be quite the celebration, boasting Arts Magnet alumni/celebrities such as Norah Jones and Erykah Badu. "Homecoming: Arts Magnet Returns" will take place Saturday, June 6 in the "Bank of America Green Room Amphitheater" (Glad to know the students are learning to sell out early... I wonder if they're putting in ATM's).

Related stories

• Celebrity alumni celebrate the newly renovated Arts Magnet in Dallas’ Arts District (June 8, 2008)

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• Architecture
• Arts > Fine Arts > Art and Sculpture
• Dallas ISD > Dallas ISD High Schools > Booker T. Washington