On January 24, members of the Blue Ash City Council listened to Dean Barbara Bardes present a plan to transform RWC’s aging auditorium into a state-of-the-art community cultural center using funding from the city and money allocated by the state for capital projects. Encouraged by the ongoing success of such events as the RWC-sponsored ARTrageous Saturdays, which are held in the auditorium, Dean Bardes told those in attendance that the impetus of maintaining a cultural center at RWC would be to “significantly enhance the quality of life in Blue Ash, while furthering the college’s mission to provide cultural opportunities to the community.”
Dean Bardes shared research completed on behalf of the project conducted by Alan Jaffe, Professor of Arts Administration at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music. His task was to determine the viability of consistently attracting both venues and audiences to a suburban campus. Dr. Jaffe’s findings confirmed that the desired demographics do exist within an acceptable range of RWC.
Further, a canvassing of current patrons attending cultural events at RWC disclosed a real appreciation for such conveniences as free parking and manageable traffic. In addition, local art organizations, such the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Ballet, and the Madcap Productions Puppet Theater, expressed a high level of interest in expanding their outreach opportunities to RWC’s easily accessible location. Given the prospect of a properly updated facility, the polled art organizations could bring as many as 170 on-campus performances annually to RWC.
Administrators of other suburban colleges near Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Boston with similar on-campus cultural programs were contacted in order to establish a benchmark of success for RWC’s proposed venture. Their programs were said to have experienced “a great sense of community and collaboration, with only occasional competition.”
After concluding her speech, Dean Bardes introduced a short, but powerful, PowerPoint presentation produced by RWC’s award-winning eMedia Department and Mary Stagaman of College Relations. It articulated a “conceptual vision” of the center, through the collaboration of theater designer Paul Shortt and architect Joe Power.
Because the auditorium was built as a lecture hall, accommodations do not lend themselves to professional performances: the flooring is concrete, the lighting is poor, and backstage is a mere fifteen feet deep. The proposed enhancements to the auditorium would include an orchestra pit and shell, a new stage floor designed for dancers, backstage dressing room and restroom facilities, state-of-the-art lighting and sound, and a dedicated area for banquets and receptions.
Dean Bardes believes that making the proposed changes would create a cultural arts center “worthy of the caliber of artists we have in this region.”
Dean Bardes explained to members of the Blue Ash City Council early in the program that “Our ability to make the center a reality is dependent upon a strategic alliance with the City of Blue Ash.” While the dollar amount needed from the City was not mentioned, the total required to acceptably renovate and outfit the existing auditorium would be approximately $10 million.
Previous discussions to build a freestanding 1200 seat cultural center on RWC’s campus were abandoned when estimates exceeded $20 million. Concerning the cost to recover and maintain the expense of such a facility, Dean Bardes said, “We are not interested in becoming a production company.”
Details concerning the presentation are available on reserve in the library.