Northwestern College | Classic - Winter 2003-04

C o v e rs t o ryN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i c▼“ T h e re s ’ an airiness inthe building that is veryconducive to doingc reative work, andhaving the gallery inthe Korver Center isdefinitely a plus.Students can see creativework within thebuilding itself and use itas inspiration.”▲N o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ art department makes the intro d u c t o ry course students take to fulfill their fine arts re q u i rement as much like astudio class as possible. “We ’ re very adamant that it is not a cerebral experience but a hands-on experience,” says Pro f e s s o rRein Va n d e rhill. “That’s how you really learn about art: You do it.”A Beautiful PlaceStudents now have attractive, spacious setting in which to cre a t eby Anita Ciru l i sErin Patterson, a fre s h-man from Three Lakes, Wi s . ,got a tour of the new Korv e rVisual Arts Center when shevisited Nort h w e s t e rn ’s campusthis past summer.“ P o t t e ry is my favoritething to do,” she says, “andwhen my tour guide bro u g h tme in here, I was, like, ‘Ye a h ,this is awesome!’”Patterson saw the buildingwhile it was still underc o n s t ruction. Now that it’scompleted, others are echoingher sentiments. Studentsand faculty alike appre c i a t ethe new facility’s attractivef o rm-follows-function designand open feel, with oversizedc l a s s rooms, large windowsand high ceilings.“ T h e re ’s so much moreroom,” says junior art majorSophia DeBoer. “It’s big, openspaces. This building wasmade for doing art. It’s justan amazing diff e rence fro mthe old one.”A rt department facultymembers were involved ine v e ry aspect of the building’sd e s i g n .“ We would state ourneeds and the architect cameup with the solutions,” saysRein Va n d e rhill, one ofN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ three art professors.“It’s a good axiom tofollow: Build a building thatworks well, and it will lookgood. You’ll be happier in it,t o o .”Among the art departme n t ’s needs were plenty oflight, space to create, andgood ventilation and air filtrationsystems.“ T h e re ’s an airiness inthe building that is very conduciveto doing cre a t i v ework,” says Karen Acker, artd e p a rtment chair. “And hav-▼“This building was madefor doing art. It’s just anamazing diff e rence fro mthe old one.”▲2 0 ▲ W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 - 0 4