Mark your calendars for January 5th at 11 AM for the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Springfield Art Association’s new studio building at 815 North 5th Street on the SAA campus. This new building will house the Smith and Nickelson Metals Studio, The Baima Glass Studio and the Prairie Earth and Fire Ceramics Studio. Each studio features tremendous upgrades from the former facilities with high quality air handling, improved lighting and new equipment, for example a gas kiln in the ceramics studio, a patina station in the metals studio and a fusing and slumping kiln in the cold glass portion of studio. The equipment for the new hot glass program is all new and is still being built. The anticipated completion date is June first. We hope to have a separate hot glass studio unveiling and celebration in June. The studios in the main building of the SAA will continue to hold classes in all other media.
The vison for this building came back in 2012 as we were contemplating our 100th birthday and our goals for the next 100 years of fulfilling our mission of educating the people of Springfield in the visual arts. This new building has been made possible through the support of the entire community. We have been raising funds to achieve this facility for seven years. In addition to our named sponsors J. Chris Smith and Debra Nickelson-Smith, and Joe and Kate Baima, hundreds of people have donated anywhere from $5 to tens of thousands. Their donations have shown that this project is something that the community needs and wants. We also had the benefit of utilizing Enos Park TIF funds. Our thanks to all who have invested in this vision and stuck with us as we fulfilled it.
The importance of these new studios is not limited to the physical space and equipment. For the SAA, it represents our commitment to generating a stronger, more creative community. We are making spaces where people are learning skills; but more importantly they are being encouraged to use their imagination and nurture their creativity. These are things that are increasingly important to the future of our community; yet they’re often discouraged. The SAA is the local resource to all who wish to explore and grow their creative skills. We are here for all ages and ability levels. We have scholarships and encourage those in need to apply.
We wish to thank all those who worked on the building: Walton & Associates Architects, Building Systems of Illinois, Prairie State Plumbing, Lindsey Electric, E. L. Pruitt Company, Truman Flatt & Sons, Martin Engineering, Johnson Engineering, TRB Demolition, Kirwan Environmental Management, Inc., Buckley’s Prairie Landscaping, Thornburgh Abatement, Superior Fire Protection Systems, Central Illinois Security, K.B. Consulting, and Clay Crocker.
