Adams Center for the Visual Arts Dedication

  • Art instructor Martha Ensign Johnson (left), who teaches printmaking, greets Janet Kates (center) and Monique Thorrington at the dedication of Adams Center for the Visual Arts.
  • Trustee Merlin Call (center) visits with Barb Pointer, director of off-campus programs, at the dedication of Adams Center for the Visual Arts.
  • Longtime art professor John Carlander (center, striped tie) joins art faculty and trustees for the program celebrating the dedication of Adams Center for the Visual Arts.
  • Trustee Roy Goble, who chairs the trustee buildings and grounds committee, awaits the start of the dedication ceremony with his wife, D’Aun (center), and art student Julia Johnson.
  • Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe enjoyed dedicating two fabulous new buildings in two days: Winter Hall for Science and Mathematics May 5 and Adams Center for the Visual Arts May 6.
  • Adams Center for the Visual Arts has 31,000 square feet, occupies three levels nestled into the hillside, provides a wide range of art studios, faculty offices and classrooms, and includes the spectacular Westmont Museum of Art.
  • President Gayle D. Beebe welcomed guests to the dedication of Adams Center for the Visual Arts on Friday, May 6.
  • Trustees, members of the Westmont Art Council, donors, faculty, staff, students and friends of Westmont gathered on the Mosher Foundation Terrace for the dedication of Adams Center for the Visual Arts.
  • Trustee Walter Hansen spoke about the role of the visual arts at Westmont and rejoiced in the location of Adams Center for the Visual Arts in the heart of campus.
  • Art professor Lisa DeBoer (left), who chairs the art department, and Judy Larson, Askew professor of art history and director of the Westmont Museum of Art, unveil the plaque for Adams Center for the Visual Arts.
  • Vince Nelson, chair of the Westmont College Board of Trustees, was one of the readers of a responsive dedicatory prayer. Art professor John Carlander (second from left) and art student Julia Johnson (left) also led the reading.
  • After the dedication, guests were able to tour the many studios and classrooms in the building and see the Senior Show in the Westmont Museum of Art.
  • Art faculty cut the ribbon for Adams Center of the Visual Arts. From left to right: Trustee Roy Goble, Scott Anderson, Lisa DeBoer, Chris Rupp, Tony Askew, John Carlander (with scissors), Susan Savage, Judy Larson, art student Julia Johnson, and Martha Ensign Johnson.
  • Professor Emeritus Tony Askew cuts the ribbon for the Westmont Museum of Art with assistance from Judy Larson, Askew professor of art history and director of the Westmont Museum of Art, Mary Beth Vogelzang, president of the Westmont Art Council, and Patty Martin, vice chair of the Westmont College Board of Trustees (left to right).

With great joy, the Westmont community dedicated Adams Center for the Visual Arts May 6 in a ceremony on the Mosher Foundation Terrace. The building, five times the size of the old Westmont Art Center, provides spectacular studio space for drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, design and crafts as well as faculty offices, two general-use classrooms, a lecture hall with tiered seating, a computer graphics lab, a darkroom and the Westmont Museum of Art. Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe welcomed guests, who included trustees, donors, friends of the college and faculty, staff and students. Trustee Walter Hansen spoke passionately about the importance of the visual arts in a liberal arts curriculum. Art faculty cut ribbons for both Adams Center and the Westmont Museum of Art. The U.S. Green Building Council has certified Winter Hall as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold for its sustainable construction and energy-saving systems.

Adams Center for the Visual Arts

Location: Bordered by Voskuyl Library on the north, Porter Center and Whittier Hall on the south and the formal gardens on the east.

Configuration: 27,972 sq. ft., 3 levels

Structure: Concrete

The long, narrow three-level form of Adams Center extends from west to east. This design provides the classrooms, studios and offices with natural ventilation and lighting. Two pavilions sit on the landscaped roof of the main level. The east pavilion houses the gallery and gallery reception area. In the west pavilion includes the printmaking and painting studios. All studio spaces in the building have both indoor and outdoor work spaces connected by large doors. The main level has general-use classrooms. The location of the building and the classrooms will expose all students to the visual arts. Also on this level are drawing and crafts studios and storage and study space for the college’s art collection. The computer graphics lab and ceramics and sculpture studios and work areas are all on the street level.