LINCOLN TRAIL COLLEGE THEATER RENAISSANCE

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From the beginning, the performing arts have been an important part of the educational mission of the college. “The College must have a strong cultural arts department – music, theater, performing arts – for the benefit of both students and the general public,” Dr. Joseph C. Piland, Founding President, Lincoln Trail College.

Today, it falls to us to imagine anew how this institution will achieve its mission in a time of unprecedented change. One of the people instrumental in the founding of Lincoln Trail College, Ivan R. Miller, said, “Music, art, theology, literature, philosophy and other positive human experiences elevate the spirit. The primary burden of providing such experience will fall on the educational system.”

The Zwermann Arts Center has had a dramatic impact on the lives of countless residents. It is a hub for musicians, dancers, thespians, and artists. Decades of research indicates that those who play an active role in the arts demonstrate superior levels of creative thinking, problem-solving, self-expression, risk-taking, self-esteem, and cooperation. For these reasons, the arts continue to be an important part of our mission and the Zwermann Arts Center is a place where the arts come alive for Crawford County.

The needs of the Zwermann Arts Center were found to be many and wide-ranging – from modernizing curtains, risers, dressing rooms and the stage lighting to making the choral room a space that is conducive to both practices and instruction. The need for additional space that could be used for production and storage of sets, props, music stands, and risers was identified as the most urgent need.

“The Zwermann Arts Center gets a lot of use from the community,” says Music Instructor Rebecca Carmack. “Building a new storage space makes sure that we can make the theater even more accessible to our students and to the community.”