salisbury school visual arts center

The Salisbury Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, CT addition complements the Centennial Library & Humanities Building while bringing a distinctly organic and artistic flavor to an otherwise linear campus. Recessed into a hill, the partially concealed metal and glass exterior radiates from the Library and Humanities Building without detracting from its dominant presence. The low profile also retains views through the quad and across the campus to open fields and forested hills.

The arts building connects to the Library building through the ground floor. General art classrooms, a pottery/ceramics room, and a wood shop are all accessed through an open, sky-lit lobby that doubles as an informal display area. The Art Director's office sits directly at the entrance, allowing passive supervision of students and visitors entering the building. The glass lined classrooms open to the ground level patio that holds and outdoor Raku kiln.

On the interior, transom glass visually connects the classrooms and enhances the bright, airy feeling of a space in which the need for daytime artificial lighting is minimal. Each classroom is equipped with efficient ventilation equipment to keep the air clean and fresh. Fumes released by art materials are vented underground and carried to an exhaust fan set away from the building, where they are released into the prevailing breeze and carried away from the campus. A curved rooftop garden, featuring a domed skylight into the lobby, is accessible from the main floor of the library and forms a special place for students to gather and socialize against the backdrop of northwestern Connecticut's foliage covered mountains.

“The new Arts Center will have a tremendous effect on building the reputation and curriculum of the Salisbury Arts program.” --Erika Crofut, Chair, Art Department