New classroom, entrance planned for Tarble Arts Center

Olivia Swenson-Hultz, Staff Reporter

A new classroom is in the works for The Tarble Arts Center, after being first proposed in the spring of 2014.

According to a press release, these renovations are  made possible through a $3 million gift given by the Tarble Foundation.

The old classroom had been hosting art classes to grades k-12 since 1982, along with workshops for teachers and college classes.

Kit Morice, curator for education at the Tarble, said class sizes have since increased, so bigger classrooms were needed.

“Classes with 30 people were packed like sardines,” she said.

The previous classroom was just 800 square feet while the new one is planned to be 1500.

The new classroom will feature amenities such as additional sinks, natural light and a projection system.

“(The new addition) should improve everything that we currently do,” said assistant director of the Tarble Arts Center Mike Schuetz. “There should be better accessibility and a higher-quality teaching environment for school groups with updated technology.”

An entrance connecting to the east section of the Tarble is also planned so students do not have do not have to cut through the entire building.

The new additions are expected to be completed by late fall 2017.