<orner of College and Third sits the skeleton of the soon-to-be Weitz Center for Creativity, formerly known as the Arts Union building. Though the project continues to pursue its vision of “uniting” the arts, the new name “reflects even better the range of academic offerings and interdisciplinary opportunities ultimately planned for the building,” said Steve Richardson, Carleton’s Director of the Arts. The name change should not be seen not as a change in the project, but instead a transformation: it began by uniting the fields through art and has progressed into a building that fosters creative thought. The name change “reflects even better the range of academic offerings and interdisciplinary opportunities ultimately planned for the building,” Carleton President Steven G. Poskanzer said. “This name captures the excitement and innovative spirit we expect will emanate from the Center and throughout campus.”
The Weitz Center recognizes the contributions of the Weitz family, which remains the single largest donor in Carleton’s history at $25 million. Campaign co-chairs Wally (’70) and Barbara (’70) Weitz and children, Katie (’96), Roger (’99), and Drew (’02), and their spouses Watie White (’93), Kate, and Meredith (’02), have contributed $15 million to the new Center for Creativity, which envisions the collaboration of the arts through the relationship between learning and teaching in a more hands-on, collaborative effort. The Weitz family’s contribution made the project possible. “I am immensely pleased that the Weitz family has allowed us to honor them in this way so that generations of Carleton students will come to know of their generosity,” Poskanzer said. “They are generous and selfless donors and volunteers.”
The Weitz Center, according to Richardson, is completely “on track” to open in the fall of 2011.Though a large portion of the building is dedicated to the performing arts―CAMS will move out of Scoville, there will be a larger stage, a theater, screening rooms that will replace those in Olin, and video production studios―classrooms are also being built and professors from all fields are encouraged to apply to have an office space in the new building. It will be a very diverse building celebrating all forms of art. Furthermore, the Center will house the Carleton Art Gallery, which will contain a teaching museum and art gallery, as well as a place for presentation events and an Idea Lab. As the Weitz family stated, “We hope students will have a great time playing and learning there.”