PAC Will Now be the People’s Art Collective!

Today I take the opportunity to announce that the construction on the Public Affairs Center is going so well that we want to radically change the use of the building. We have discovered through an iterative process making use of design thinking that the faculty are very happy (ok, somewhat less unhappy) with the temporary offices they have been in during the renovation of the PAC. And we have also discovered that we have plenty of classrooms for the courses on the books. So, we are announcing that for the next several years (at least) the PAC will be a showcase for architecture and art! We won’t move into the building next year – we will use it as a place to look at art, admire architecture, and be inspired to build community without having to occupy the building. Indeed, we will reject the certificate of occupancy process imposed on us by the state. We will BE the People’s Art Collective!

For some, it will seem very wasteful that a construction project of this size results only in a place for contemplation, absorption and community building. But ask yourselves whether your notions of utility and waste are linked to normative notions of occupation that haven’t exactly served people well over the course of history. Ask yourselves.

Together, we will liberate the PAC by making it the People’s Art Collective!