Friday, October 17 was not only our second Retriever Day of the year, but it was also the greatly anticipated grand opening of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building! And indeed, it was a grand day—complete with representatives from the university, the arts community, and policy makers. I was so moved by the event that I’m just going to share with you what other people had to say.

Scott Casper, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, welcomed us all and declared that this building was going to be a place where we could all ask the important questions, “Who are we? Where do we come from? And, what matters?”

Next, was senior Music major and Linehan Artist Scholar, Erika Koshco who spoke about the shared “hunger to create and grow,” and who has already discovered that the PAHB is a place that will “allow our craft to come alive.”

We received sincere congratulations and recognition for our commitment to the arts from the House of Delegates, with County Executive Kevin Kamenetz foreseeing that UMBC will “quickly become the hub for arts for the region.”

 I learned that Maryland recently passed a law stating that any new building must include a public art installation in its construction plans. UMBC is the inaugural location to enact this legislation, with the help of artist Thomas Sayre and his sculpture, Forum. Sayre was selected from a national search led by UMBC and the Maryland Arts and Humanities Council. Sayre shared that he hopes his sculpture will become a destination and our community will begin to say, “meet me at the earth cast arches.”

The earth cast sculpture by Thomas Sayre.

Jeannie Howe, Executive Director of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance, applauded UMBC and Dr. Hrabowski for making the arts such a priority; “You have placed the arts and humanities on a pedestal at equal footing with STEM programs, right where it should be.”

Just before the official ribbon cutting, and as he proved the practically perfect acoustics of the grand recital hall by not using a microphone, Dr. Hrabowski left us with these words, “Choice, not chance, determines your destiny. We choose the arts and humanities.”

Dean Casper, Erika Koshco, President Hrabowski, and the Ribbon Cutting!