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A district the arts The O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, being constructed for up to an estimated $300 million, at The University of Texas at Dallas is described by school o cials as the new gateway to the campus. The district will serve as a place for students and the community to foster engagement in the arts.
CROW MUSEUM’S ASIAN ART
WATERVIEW PKWY.
1 The Crow Museum of Asian Art: a new expanded location of the art museum located in Dallas
Here are examples of some art pieces that will be displayed in the new museum opening at UT Dallas in 2024.
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UNIVERSITY PKWY.
W. CAMPBELL RD.
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Performance Hall: A 53,000-square-ft. theater, including a 600-seat concert venue, is being built at UTD. Latin American Art Museum: three collections of Latin American art combined in one museum Parking garage: will include 1,100 spaces Plaza: a 2-acre plaza with art pieces that will serve as the center of the district
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Stele with Buddha
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Shakyamuni’s Descent from Tryastrmsa Locationg: India, Bihar, Pala
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Time period: (c. 750 1197)
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The O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum cultural arts district is set to complete its rst phase of construction in 2024. (Rendering courtesy The University of Texas at Dallas)
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Rock Crystal Sphere with Stand Location: Japan Time period: Meiji period (c.1868 1912)
$200 million - $300 million estimated cost
2024 estimated opening
3 new buildings 12-acre art district
SOURCE: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
President Richard Benson said during the May 11 groundbreaking for the athenaeum. “We are widely known as a univer- sity that is strong in STEM and the management disciplines, but we are eager to be equally impactful in the arts,” Benson said. A destination museum The Crow Museum of Asian Art is located in Dallas and includes more than 1,000 works from Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Tibet and Vietnam plus a library of more than 12,000 books, catalogs and journals. “This opportunity can be the cat- alyst for further expansion of the Crow Museum,” Museum Director Amy Ho and said. “We are working on a major acquisition that could double our size.” Once open on the UT Dallas cam- pus, the expanded Crow Museum is expected to become the fourth-largest Asian Art museum in the country. The downtown Dallas museum will con- tinue to operate, but no details have been decided on whether that will continue once the UT Dallas museum is opened, according to Ho and. “This will be the rst major art museum north of I-635 that was designed by a Pulitzer Prize-winning architect,” she said. In addition to the Crow Collection, UT Dallas will display three collec- tions of Latin American folk art as
part of a planned 50,000-square-foot museum for the traditional arts of the Americas. This museum will include three donated collections: the Roger Horchow Collection; the Laura and Dan Boeckman Collection of Latin American Folk Art; and the Bryan J. Stevens Collection of Masks of the Sierra de Puebla. “Bringing culture into a physical space on UT Dallas’ campus is a great opportunity for the students and the community,” Ho and said. Nils Roemer, dean of the school of Arts, Humanities and Technology, said the athenaeum, which is a Greek term for a place dedicated to the god- dess of wisdom, Athena, is designed to be used both as an educational tool for students and as a cultural “hang- out” for Richardson. The athenaeum is supported by a $32 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation, which has contributed more than $900 million to UT Dallas since it was founded in 1957, accord- ing to campus o cials. Performing the arts Another addition to the athenaeum is a 53,000-square-foot performance hall, according to university o - cials. The performance space, which would be the largest on campus, is expected to include a 600-seat con- cert hall, practice rooms, and choral and orchestra rehearsal rooms. The performance hall is expected to open by 2026. Jonathan Palant, associate dean of
the arts for the school of AHT, said the new hall will allow the school to expand its events, which operate out of a 200-seat concert hall and the 280-seat University Theater. “Our performing groups are getting better,” Palant said. “This will allow us to scale with our growth and have a prominent place in the community, both on and o campus, to display the talent of our students.” Palant said making arts easily avail- able on campus is important to pro- viding a cultural viewpoint for the community, especially with UT Dallas’ population being nearly 25% interna- tional students. “Being a well-rounded student enables you to be a well-rounded citi- zen,” he said. “When we expose each other to arts from around the world, it makes us more accepting of others. Richardson being diverse itself will bene t from this global viewpoint.” One of the biggest struggles UT Dallas has had in promoting arts edu- cation on campus is expressing to students the bene ts of the program, Palant said. “I think in lots of ways we were held back,” he said. “The campus has grown exponentially over the last couple of years, from 14,000 in 2006 to now over 30,000 students. There’s a lot of talk about how to [spread the idea of art] on campus.” Roemer said he has discussed ways to make the arts more visible on cam- pus, including displays throughout the arts buildings.
Vase Location: China Time period: Qing dynasty (c. 1644 1911), Qianlong period (c. 1736 1795)
Vishnu Location: Cambodia
Time period: Khmer Empire (c. 802 1431)
Caparisoned Horse Location: China Time period: Tang dynasty (c. 618 907)
PHOTOS COURTESY CROW MUSEUM OF ASIAN ART
SOURCE: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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