Picture Gallery of the Dedication

Performing Arts Center Dedication
Brenau University's John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors in April 2002 to the university family and to the North Georgia community. Located at 429 Academy Street, this building has been years in the planning. It all started with the dream to provide state-of-the-art theatre and classroom facilities for the performing arts departments and the need to alleviate overuse of century-old Pearce Auditorium. The center adds a new dimension to the arts programs at Brenau and adds another dimension to arts organizations in Gainesville and Hall County.

Above:  Brenau University art and design students got a first-hand look at the new building on March 20 with a guided tour led by Dr. Mary Jane Taylor.   Below:  Members of the Brenau Chamber Choir also visited.

Sandy Blankenship, Pearce Auditorium director and assistant professor of theatre, is one of the many faculty whose input helped architects develop the space. "I am proud to have been a part of the dreaming, the planning, and the coordination of all of the facets of the John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts! This new, state-of-the-art facility will so enhance the lives of Brenau students and faculty, as well as the Gainesville-Hall County community. We have needed additional performance and rehearsal spaces here for quite some time, as Pearce Auditorium continues to be booked to the max. We are all excited about the opportunities that this Center is creating. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible."

It is noteworthy any time a university erects a major campus building. It is a first time experience for students who attend Brenau today. "The center is phenomenal as a contemporary structure yet it preserves the feeling of Brenau. The architectural firm of Lord, Aeck & Sargent found the spirit of Brenau and added to it," Burd added. The building features a Second Empire roofline, similar to that of the university's signature building, Pearce Auditorium. Cream-colored stucco walls and standing seam zinc roof provide an elegant background to a stained glass window set into an entry arch that brings color into the lobby, accentuating the curved double stairs and vaulted ceilings.

Terry Sargent, principal architect with Lord, Aeck and Sargent, notes that "In a challenging era for women's liberal arts colleges, Brenau is expanding its hallmark core competency through a strong physical reaffirmation of the arts. The building entrance, graced with the color and splendor of a unique 35' high stained glass window, demonstrates Brenau's commitment. Students, faculty and community will all benefit from this stewardship of Brenau's academic mission, and we - as architects - are privileged to help give form to the vision."

For more than 120 years, Brenau has been the catalyst, the venue and the backbone for arts and cultural events offered not just to Brenau students, but to the Northeast Georgia community as well. Year in and year out, the university presents music recitals, dramas, dance performances and art exhibitions by campus, local, regional, national and international artists. Brenau is home to arts organizations such as the Gainesville Ballet Company, the Gainesville Symphony, the Arts Council Pearce Series, Gainesville Pro Musica and Wonderquest, the local children's theatre.

According to Ann M. Demling, Ph.D., director of theatre at Brenau, "The John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts has been eagerly anticipated by students and faculty in the theatre program, because it provides us with beautiful, intimate performance spaces with updated equipment and facilities. It also is exciting to have a place where the various arts can co-exist."

The John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts continues Brenau's commitment to meet the students' and the regions cultural needs. The additional performance halls will relieve scheduling and usage stresses on historic Pearce Auditorium. Expanded rehearsal space, along with set and costume storage, will greatly facilitate performances and performers. Additional classrooms and office space replace those currently housed in buildings more than eighty years old. The new center will complement Pearce twofold: it will continue Brenau's tradition of excellence in fine arts education and it will enrich the cultural environment for the Northeast Georgia community.