Hancock Invites Public to Fine Arts Complex Opening
FEBRUARY 21, 2023-- Allan Hancock College is celebrating the completion of its 88,000-square-foot Fine Arts Complex with a grand opening ceremony on Feb. 24 from 4-6 p.m. at the college’s Santa Maria campus.
The event is free and open to the public. The grand opening will kick-off with short speeches and a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by self-guided tours of the state-of-the-art facility and live demonstrations by Hancock’s fine arts students and faculty.
Demonstrations will include dance performances, pottery throwing, student theatre makeup demos, live music, student film and animation screenings, live drawing and painting and much more.
“The Fine Arts Complex is one of the largest projects our college has taken on and we are incredibly excited to invite the community to come experience it,” said Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. “This complex is now the hub for fine arts learning and collaboration at Hancock and a tremendous asset to the community.”
The two-story facility includes classroom and office space for the college’s visual arts, multimedia and applied design, photography, film and video, dance and music programs. The complex also includes a 400-seat music venue, dance and music rehearsal spaces, art and pottery studios, student lounge areas and a film screening room.
The project consolidates all Hancock's fine arts and performing arts programs (except theatre arts) under one roof. The programs were formerly housed in the college’s E, F, and O-300 buildings.
“To have everyone in one beautiful building is a dream come true,” said Hancock professor and Fine Arts Department Chair John Hood.
The college broke ground on the complex in September 2020, and the building opened to students and faculty for the college’s spring semester in January 2023. Funding for the approximately $48.4 million facility was provided by the voter-approved Bond Measure I, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, and a generous donation by the Patty Boyd Foundation.
To learn more about the Fine Arts Complex and the Feb. 24 grand opening celebrations, visit https://bit.ly/AHCFineArtsOpening.
