West Bank Arts Quarter Press Releases
Regis Center for Art Fact Sheet
Download this press release as a pdf.
Regis Center for Art Facts
- Final piece of new West Bank Arts Quarter linking theater arts, music and dance on the University of Minnesota campus.
- State-of-the art facility with one building (west) dedicated to two-dimensional art and one building (east) building dedicated to three-dimensional art.
- The 155,000 square foot building includes art studios, teaching spaces, a foundry, kilns, a digital lab, wood shop, metal shop, and exterior courtyard, ample exhibition spaces for students, and an exhibition gallery (Katherine Nash Gallery).
Funding
- The $41.5-million cost is funded by $15 million in university-issued debt, $18.5 million from the state of Minnesota through bonding and $8 million in private donations. The Regis Center was completed ahead of time and under budget.
Building Fun Facts
- 23 kilns
- A few elements from the old art building are incorporated in the new building, including the street address of 2020 is above the foundry entrance. Terra cotta panels from the old art building are incorporated into an exterior wall outside the administrative offices in the new building.
- Four types of material are used on the exterior of the building, including cement masonry unit, brick, stucco and Swiss Pearl Panels. This is the first building in the nation to install Swiss Pearl panels, a durable, asbestos-free exterior paneling.
Art Program
- Enrollment is up 23 percent over the past decade.
- Art is the seventh most popular major out of the 64 majors offered by the College of Liberal Arts.
- The art department educates students from every discipline at the university.
- 5,000 students each year take classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, electronic media, sculpture, print making and photography.
Photo (top) by Jayme Halbritter