FARMINGTON — The Emery Community Arts Center on the University of Maine at Farmington campus was recently awarded a National Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture for a new building by the Society for College and University Planning. The arts center was designed by design LAB architects of Boston and was conceived as a venue to engage both the campus and local community in the exploration of the visual and performing arts.

The award recognizes the strong partnerships and collaborative planning that contributed to the design of this facility, which supports creative talents in the community and on campus. The award program acknowledges the excellence in planning, design and implementation efforts of firms and institutions, as well as the achievements of individuals whose lives and passions involve higher education.

Designed to complement the historic performance venues of Nordica Auditorium and Alumni Theater, the 15,000-square-foot Emery Community Arts Center is the keystone for the arts complex on the UMF campus.

The center features a state-of-the-art, 2,500-square-foot, 160-seat multipurpose performance space with dynamic vertical foldaway doors that open onto an outdoor performance area. A 1,600-square-foot Flex-Space gallery provides exhibit space for traditional and new media and performance art. While a dramatic interior corridor offers additional exhibition space and connects the center with the existing Alumni Theater. The building opened Fall 2011.

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