When Marian was approached to help the University of Louisville develop a new facility to expand its MFA and Archaeology programs, one thing was certain – creativity would inform every decision we made. Remaining true to our belief in effecting transformative change in underserved communities, a site was selected in West Louisville’s Portland neighborhood to help stimulate revitalization efforts already underway. By converting an existing, underutilized property into a cohesive and highly functional space, we delivered the ideal structure to inspire creativity and promote learning.
Experiential learning is critical to both Fine Arts and Archaeology student development, and the new space provides ample room and the proper environment for “hands-on” training from building large sculptures to cataloging excavation collections. Dr. Kimberly Leonard, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, remarked, “After we committed to this space, there were a few people who were skeptical. I’ve brought some of them back again, and they’ve been very excited.”
