TORONTO, March 20, 2006 -- York University and the Faculty of Fine Arts officially launched The Accolade Project buildings with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today in The CIBC Lobby of the Accolade East building.
A vibrant new centre for fine arts education, Accolade offers state-of-the-art teaching, exhibition and performance facilities in two new buildings – Accolade East and Accolade West – framing the existing fine arts complex at the heart of York University’s Keele campus. It also provides a long-awaited new home with dedicated facilities for the Departments of Music and Dance and the Fine Arts Cultural Studies program.
Dr. Lorna R. Marsden, President and Vice-Chancellor of York University, opened this striking $107.5 million expansion and renovation project in a ceremony with the Hon. David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal and Phillip Silver, Dean of Fine Arts.
Designed by Bregman + Hamann Architects-Zeidler Partnership, architects in joint venture, the 358,000-sq.-ft. Accolade Project includes such flagship facilities as a 325-seat proscenium theatre with orchestra pit, a 325-seat recital hall with integrated recording studio, a 500-seat cinema-lecture hall, a performance halls lobby, specialized dance studios, and specialized music studios, and dozens of cutting-edge ‘smart’ classrooms, labs and seminar rooms for general University use. The celebrated Art Gallery of York University has a new home in Accolade East, while the Department of Visual Arts’ new student-run art gallery is ensconced in Accolade West.
"This world-class complex is a bold reflection of York’s commitment to excellence and innovation,” said President Marsden. “This visionary initiative reflects York’s stature as a rising cultural powerhouse and partner in the City of Toronto’s cultural renaissance.”
“The future of fine arts is being built at York,” said Dean Silver, also a noted stage designer. “The Accolade buildings provide superb new facilities where the artists of tomorrow can fulfill their creative potential. Striking architecture and state-of-the-art facilities will contribute to and enhance the excellence in teaching, learning, creative work, research and innovation which distinguish York and the Faculty of Fine Arts.”
In just two and a half short years after breaking ground, Accolade is a reality, funded by York University, the Ontario government, and enthusiastic donor support. An original $23.4 million from SuperBuild launched the building project that became Accolade. Among the generous donors to The Accolade Project through the York University Foundation are Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan, whose gift of $1 million made the 325-seat proscenium theatre possible, and CIBC, whose donation of $1 million to York University supports The Accolade Project as well as student scholarships and research.
"This superb facility was built because leading patrons of the arts believed in York’s special contribution to fine arts education in Canada," added Marsden. "Martin Goldfarb, Chair of the Accolade Project Campaign Committee, inspired us all with his dedication to this dream, and the philanthropy of the donors who have given so much to this project is truly admirable."
Those donors include: Tribute Communities, Robert and Julia Foster, H. Barry and Joy Gales, Elaine and Jimmy Kay, the Lambert family in honour of the late Allen T. Lambert, Walter Carsen, Lorna Marsden, The John McKellar Charitable Foundation, The McLean Foundation, the Mirkopoulos family and Cinespace Film Studios, Lata Pada and Hari Venkatacharya, Manulife Fnancial, TELUS and James Wu. The Accolade Project has also been chosen as the beneficiary of the 40th annual Brazilian Carnival Ball, to be held on May 13, 2006.
“Today we mark the creation of an environment that will inspire and motivate a new generation of creative artists, and change forever the cultural landscape of our time and our country,” said David Caplan, Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal. “This complex symbolizes a quiet renaissance in Ontario’s public infrastructure, one that is taking form in communities across the province.”
“Forty years after York launched the first Faculty of Fine Arts in Canada, we’re embarking on an exciting new phase in our development," added Dean Silver. "Accolade sets the stage for tremendous synergy between all of the different artistic disciplines: music, film, theatre, dance, visual arts, and cultural studies. By bringing together all our Fine Arts programs in one accessible, dynamic cluster integrated within the larger academic community, The Accolade Project will enrich the experience of all students, staff and faculty. I expect remarkable results."
Accolade reflects and enhances York's reputation as one of North America’s leading fine arts universities. York’s Faculty of Fine Arts is a premier training ground not only for the artists, but also the arts administrators, producers, teachers, curators and policy-makers who will headline the next generation in Canada’s cultural industries. While the Accolade Project promises to be a boon for students, it will also provide benefits to the community at large as an exciting new destination for arts audiences, and an outstanding new addition to Toronto’s cultural infrastructure, with venues that may be booked for public use.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony also launched a week-long Fine Arts Festival, March 20-26. Spanning music, theatre, visual arts, dance and film, sixteen events showcase the creative talents of York’s faculty, students and alumni. The festival includes a Gala Concert with the world premiere of a piano concerto by David Mott inaugurating the new recital hall, a staging of Timothy Findley’s Not Wanted on t
he Voyage, and dynamic visual arts events and exhibitions. The York Dance Ensemble inaugurates The Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre with performances of new works by Holly Small, Yvonne Ng and others, and A Toast to York Film launches the new high-tech cinema with award-winning films by students, past and present.
The Faculty of Fine Arts at York University is one of North America's leading and largest educational institutions for the fine arts. A vibrant community of more than 3,000 students and 250 faculty working at the leading edge of fine arts practice and scholarship, it offers academic studies and professional training at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in all the fine arts: dance, design, film, music, theatre, visual arts, as well as interdisciplinary cultural studies.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 22 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
For more information about the project, visit www.yorku.ca/accolade
For information about the Fine Arts Festival inaugurating The Accolade Project, visit: www.yorku.ca/finearts/festival
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Media contact: York University Media Relations, 416 736 5585
