Part of the $5 million gift from the Hurvis Charitable Foundation will be used to transform the lower level of the former Jason Downer Commons into the 9,400-square-foot, state-of-the art Hurvis Center for Interdisciplinary Film Studies.
The renovation will create space for academic programming, including digital video production and editing. The key feature of the center will be a nearly 1,600-square-foot studio, complete with a 27-foot-high ceiling that will extend through the building’s ground floor, to be used primarily for production purposes. Equipped with a green screen and pullout bleacher seating, the studio also will accommodate presentations and performances.
Other highlights of the center include a large classroom and two screening/seminar rooms, a 16-station computer lab, a sound-mix suite, a professional editing suite with eight editing stations, three offices and a 600-square-foot art studio to serve the interdisciplinary nature of the expanded film program. Restrooms in the center will include dressing rooms to accommodate actors working on video productions in the building.
“The new Hurvis Center will allow Lawrence to link cutting-edge video production with our already strong liberal arts tradition of historical and critical understanding in film studies,” said Jeff Stannard, associate dean of the conservatory and associate professor of music, who has been involved in the building’s design as special assistant to the president. “New minors in film and media studies are already in development and we will soon see students and faculty from across the campus working collaboratively on interdisciplinary projects that would have been impossible before.”
A new entrance on the southeast corner of the building will provide direct access to the center.
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