News and Events
Community invited to grand opening of new visual communications facilities
September 17, 2014
Medicine Hat College (MHC) will officially open the new visual communications facility on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Cultural Centre. The public is welcome to attend the grand opening, which will include presentations from college as well as local representatives; an official ribbon cutting; student led tours of the new location; live music and light food and refreshments.
Dr. Len Vandervaart, vice-president academic explains that this is an occasion that celebrates not only the students and the commitment of the staff and faculty but also the arts community and partnerships with organizations like the City of Medicine Hat.
“The visual communications program at the college is unique and we wanted to create an environment that reflected and supported that. It’s very rewarding to be able to officially open the new facilities to the public with individuals that have been imperative in the process,” said Vandervaart. “We see this as a formal step towards continuing to build a unified, growing and vibrant cultural community.”
The total cost of the project was $8,101,771, with $3,062, 126 stemming from grant funding from the Government of Alberta and $5,039,645 from the college reserves, which according to Vandervaart is an investment that will benefit not only current and future learners but also the arts community.
As part of the grand opening, the college will open the new One on One Art Gallery at the Cultural Centre, which currently houses an exhibition entitled The Alumni Show.
“One of the main features of our new space is a gallery with approximately 240 feet of wall space, which will hold exhibits year-round. We felt it suiting that the first one, which aligned with the opening, be a show that exhibits art from 40 of our alumni who graduated anywhere from two to thirty years ago,” explains Craig Cote, visual communications coordinator. “The work is quite diverse so we hope that the public can come and help us celebrate.”
The exhibition will be on display until October 15, 2014, with a reception on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.