Stats that show the fine arts aren't dead
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Vice President Michael Seymour explains why the college is renovating the Fine Arts building at a cost of $5.4 million:
“Growth in fine arts programming has sky-rocketed since 1999. Art has experienced a 96.5 percent increase, and the Theatre has experienced a 102.2 percent increase. The Music program has experienced a 198.1% increase in students from 2000 to 2010."
According to a college announcement, the January-December renovation next year will give the music department more space for things such as offices, labs, practice areas and classrooms, as well as a climate-system upgrade.
It's the second phase of a fine arts project, the first part of which was the creation of a $3.8 million Visual Arts Center, completed in 2010. That houses, among other things, glassblowing, photography and ceramics studios.
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