From the outside, it’s a curious harmony of straight lines and curves, and very long windows. The three-story center houses 60,000 square feet of classrooms and studios, and WSU’s Visual Arts program. On the lower floor, 10,000 more square feet are devoted to exhibition, collection and preservation of art pieces for the delight of the public in three separate spaces. Take note and do not be confused by the fact that every part of the expensive building is named after a different financial contributor.

Upon entering, one looks up at the pride of the construction, the Dumke Family Atrium, a lobby area with an unusual 48-foot ceiling. Towering column supports arch uniquely from floor to ceiling, each bent at a different radius and aligned exactly, exemplar of the structures claim to fame as an art building that itself is a work of art. First impression: sterile and sleek. Second impression: wow... Everything therein is a strategically conceived part of a “world” designed to capture all the senses, and thus make the visitor feel as though, walking in, he has plunged himself into another dimension, into the “art world.” To this end, numerous pieces of furniture are provided throughout, each one an individually conceived work of art, tables, chairs and benches in cast aluminum, molded plywood, stainless steel, and maple strips woven in wicker fashion. The inspiration behind each varies from Spanish street cafes, to martini glasses, to industrial ergonomics seating design. It is from the atrium that one enters the three exhibit spaces.

The Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery, the main exhibition space, equipped with a state-of-the-art (no pun intended) air conditioning system to regulate temperature and humidity separately from the upper floors, and provide optimum ventilation for the preservation of the precious art pieces. It’s display layout is changeable given the 10’ x 10’ moveable walls, each filled at the bottom with 800 pounds of sand to ensure against the pull of gravity as the wall supports different pieces. One wall weights in at approximately 1,100 pounds. In consequence of this, and being a high-traffic area, the floors are made of a material called terrazzo that will withstand almost anything.

The John A. & Telitha E. Lindquist Hall is a lecture-style space that seats 125 people. The tiered staging is removable for extra exhibition space. The hall is equipped with dual digital and slide projectors, VCR, DVD, and acute control of lighting and sound levels.

Perhaps the least common space is the Ora R. “Dick” & Edna lone Hall Sculpture Garden. For explanation of its display, we turn to WSU itself: “Using architectural photos of side cuts into the earth around the site, these two-dimensional images were combined and translated into 3-D computer models. The models were then replicated as molds. Numerous form liners were then made using the molds as stamps. Concrete forms were built using the form liners on one side, and concrete was poured into the forms. The texture on the outside surface of the perimeter wall reflects the texture from the 3-D model.”

And don’t forget, no truly modern museum would be complete without an indoor gift shop offering souvenir mugs, hand crafted jewelry, and one-of-a-kind pottery. The gallery presents a variety of themes in its schedule of exhibitions for the coming year.