The Empty Walls of Allard Hall. Jesse Roma/The Griff

Why doesn’t our fine arts building feel like a fine arts building?

Have you ever walked into a building and thought, “Yeah, I am totally in the wrong place.” That was me in my first year of my bachelor of design walking into Allard Hall. I came into this building to see a relatively empty atrium made of grey concrete, sterile white walls and the Mitchell Art Gallery. My first impression wasn’t: “woah look at this cool arts building I am going to be spending the next four years in!” It was more: “Why is there an art gallery in this nursing building?” I was confused and disappointed that it didn’t feel like I was about to walk into what I thought was going to be an amped up, university experience of High School Musical. Thanks Disney.

As a fourth-year and graduating design student, I’ve done my time in Allard and I can definitely say that my views on this building really haven’t changed over the course of my time there. It feels sterile, modern, and perfect, which really isn’t an accurate representation of what an arts building should be. The aesthetic and experience of a space has a strong impact on what goes on in that space, especially within a creative field. As a designer, we are told to draw inspiration from the world around us, but when what’s around you is a sheet of white drywall, it may be a little hard to feel inspired.

“They don’t feel like creative spaces to me.” 

-Wayne Williams on design studio classrooms in Allard Hall

I wanted to see what some other people had to say about this, so I spoke to two creatives who work in Allard Hall.

“There’s a lot of beauty in the building, but it’s also quite sterile I think, for a lot of people.” says Wayne Williams, who is an associate professor with 25 years of teaching experience in the department of design at MacEwan. Williams thinks that some of the design spaces lack character, saying they could be “louder in terms of visual inspiration.”

“They don’t feel like creative spaces to me,” he says.

 I agree with Wayne. Some of them feel like white-room torture to me. I’m looking at you 11-262.

Brooke Langmaid is an associate creative director at ZGM, sessional instructor in the department of design, and former MacEwan design student. She compared the former building that hosted the FFAC, now known as “The Orange Hub”, to Allard Hall during her time as a student learning in both spaces. 

“What I miss about the Orange Hub was how we felt a bit more connected to the arts, music, and theatre programs. The campus was much smaller, and we’d hear people singing through the hallways, and there’d always be interesting art installations wherever you looked.” She comments on how Allard Hall has grown into a more lived-in space now as an instructor compared to when she attended as a student, though she would still value more art and color within classrooms.

Creative inspiration can be taken from pretty much anywhere, but I feel that in certain spaces, the building lacks character (something that the creatives at MacEwan have plenty of) and should showcase the creative energy of the students to the rest of the community.