After years of planning and construction, the University of Utah dedicated the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex in February 2014. Named for the late arts advocate and renowned philanthropist, the $37.5 million interdisciplinary facility for arts and education was made possible by a $12.5 million donation from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, the largest donation in support of arts and education in University of Utah history.
“The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex is truly a culmination of the vision my mother had of bringing together the arts and education to improve the learning experience for Utah students,” says Ann Crocker, president of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation. “We lost my mother last year, but I know she would have been unbelievably proud to know her legacy is being carried forward.”
Home to the College of Education and Tanner Dance Program, the complex is designed to serve as the nation’s premier academic hub of evidence-based K-12 arts integration research, training, practice, and advocacy. This unique and unprecedented collaboration aligns with the Sorenson Legacy Foundation’s long-time support of bringing arts-integrated instruction to Utah, and will focus on academic research; interdisciplinary teacher training; professional development for teachers and education leaders; programming for schools, youth, and families; and community involvement and leadership. Within the complex, the interdisciplinary work of the College of Education and the College of Fine Arts is focused on the ongoing development of teaching models in which the arts—particularly visual art, theater, music and dance—are used to teach multiple subjects.
As the resident arts group within the new facility, the nationally recognized Tanner Dance Program brings a 75-year legacy of providing dance and arts instruction for children and adults as well as professional development for teachers. Features of the 110,000-square-foot facility include seven classrooms with distance education capabilities, a demonstration space for the latest techniques and approaches for integrated curriculum models, 27 conference and project rooms, six dance studios, a black box theater, an art studio, and a costume fabrication shop.
Mary Ann Lee, James Lee Sorenson, U President David Pershing, and Ann Crocker cut the ribbon for the new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex.The building is also home to a 200-seat, multi-functional space capable of being configured as a theater, auditorium, or conference space, which has been named the Art Works for Kids Auditorium. A model classroom will also make it possible for researchers and educators to observe and demonstrate the latest techniques and approaches for integrated curriculum models.
Studies have shown that integrating the arts with core educational subjects can increase test scores, self-esteem, and student engagement while decreasing behavior problems. Similarly, this new building will provide university and community leaders the opportunity to explore and measure the positive impact the arts can have on education for children.
“As far as I am aware, never before has an undertaking as deliberate or elaborate as this new interdisciplinary complex been attempted, and it is incredibly exciting to be part of it,” says Raymond Tymas-Jones, associate vice president for the arts and dean of the College of Fine Arts. “Utah has a long history of supporting arts-integrated education efforts, and those good works will continue in perpetuity at this new complex.”
The nature of this arts and education endeavor is unprecedented, making it an exciting addition to the University of Utah campus. Not only is the building a fitting tribute to the late Mrs. Sorenson and her vision for arts and education in Utah, it has the potential to profoundly impact arts-integrated education on a national scale.
