School of Fine Arts
Facilities
HENRY G. HARMON FINE ARTS CENTER
The Henry G. Harmon Fine Arts Center houses the larger part of the School of Fine Arts, including the Music Department, the Theatre Arts Department and the Department of Art and Design.
The Hall of the Performing Arts, seating 460, is a central feature of the center, where faculty and student recitals, ensemble programs, opera and theatre productions take place. The Holtkamp Concert Organ, consisting of a three-manual console controlling 3,000 pipes comprising 39 stops and 51 ranks, is utilized for recitals and teaching. Unique acoustical control and structural modifications, a three-section pit elevator and professional quality lighting and sound control booth contribute to the flexibility of the hall. The Studio Theatre is an alternate flexible space for the production of plays. The Monroe Recital Hall is a multipurpose space for rehearsals of large ensembles and recitals.
The center includes 22 major classroom areas for specialized teaching in the arts. Extensive rehearsal facilities for choral, instrumental and operatic ensembles, theory and music education classrooms, 26 applied studios and 58 practice studios comprise the music area.
The Anderson Gallery provides a generous space for curated art exhibitions as well as for regular student and faculty shows. The Carl and Edith Weeks Gallery in the lobby of the Performing Arts Hall provides additional exhibition space. A display case, intended primarily for exhibition of classroom work, is in the Schloss Lounge.
The center also includes an art history lecture room and specialized studio areas for painting, design and drawing.
A digital design laboratory, makeup room, dressing rooms and a movement room equipped with dance bars, mirrors and special flooring are used by the Theatre Arts Department.
The Dickson Media Resource Center provides individual and group listening/viewing stations utilizing cassette and reel audio tapes, VHS/Beta format video tapes, CDs and DVDs, records and slides. The center contains a music library as well as materials for art and theatre.
The center’s lounge areas for students and faculty serve as areas for study, reflection and relaxation. The administrative offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Fine Arts and departmental offices also are located in the center.
EVERETT A. SHESLOW AUDITORIUM
Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, a 1900 structure that was renovated in 1992, is an excellent performance hall for concerts and recitals presented on the Jordan Stage by the Department of Music. The Jordan Stage was made possible by Alice Jordan, a Des Moines composer whose choral works are performed in churches throughout the country, and her late husband, Frank, who served as dean of Drake’s College of Fine Arts and professor of organ from 1942 to 1963. He then was professor of organ and church music until his retirement in 1972. The auditorium, which seats 774, is known for its exceptional acoustics.
Sheslow Auditorium is named after Everett A. Sheslow, a 1951 Drake alumnus, in honor of his $2 million gift to the renovation of the historic facility and his longtime dedication to his alma mater. The auditorium also is the site of lectures, conferences and presentations of various kinds. The availability of the auditorium has made it possible for the Department of Theatre Arts to have greater access to the Hall of Performing Arts in the Harmon Fine Arts Center.
EVERETT A. SHESLOW AUDITORIUM
Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, a 1900 structure that was renovated in 1992, is an excellent performance hall for concerts and recitals presented on the Jordan Stage by the Department of Music. The Jordan Stage was made possible by Alice Jordan, a Des Moines composer whose choral works are performed in churches throughout the country, and her late husband, Frank, who served as dean of Drake’s College of Fine Arts and professor of organ from 1942 to 1963. He then was professor of organ and church music until his retirement in 1972. The auditorium, which seats 774, is known for its exceptional acoustics.
Sheslow Auditorium is named after Everett A. Sheslow, a 1951 Drake alumnus, in honor of his $2 million gift to the renovation of the historic facility and his longtime dedication to his alma mater. The auditorium also is the site of lectures, conferences and presentations of various kinds. The availability of the auditorium has made it possible for the Department of Theatre Arts to have greater access to the Hall of Performing Arts in the Harmon Fine Arts Center.
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