Oxnard College celebrated the birth of their brand new Performing Arts Center with a dedication ceremony that will soon unite and cultivate an ensemble of various art programs to compliment the new building.
Solo guitarist, Carlos Gonzales, set the mood as the Board of Trustees, OC Foundation board members, students, faculty, staff and others were welcomed to unveil the new building.
The ceremony took place under a large canopy in front of the OCPA, which was catered by the Culinary Arts department with hors d’oeuvre and refreshments for the guests to enjoy.
Arturo Hernandez, Ventura County Community College District Trustee, took a moment to address the guests with a few remarks about his colleagues, who have had an impact on the district as well as on him. He also spoke about his proud and emotional state, in being a part of such a project.
“This is a signature building,” said Hernandez. “It anchors OC as an educational facility, which is what I am proud of. This gives us a basis to build programs and they are going to be amazing programs. It will give students an opportunity to showcase their talents and I am sure that great things are going to happen here.”
The OCPA took about 2 and half years to complete thanks to the Measure S Bond approved by the community.
Although the district and OC suffers from many recent budget crises, Dr. Richard Duran, OC President, feels confident that the college will be able to fiscally maintain this new addition.
“We were allocated 110 million dollars for Oxnard College to spend and this facility cost about 23.7 million dollars,” said Duran. “So the challenge we have is to have the sufficient staff to be able to support this facility, but we already have tentative plans on how we’re going to be able to do that.”
OCPA stands tall with 8 columns of glass panels on the southern side of the building that lead the way into the modern theatre house and stage. It is also accommodated with a box office, spacious faculty offices, a black box theatre, professional lighting systems and a seating capacity of 400.
Amy Edwards, speech professor and debate instructor at OC, is the new advisor for the theatre arts club.
“The black box can be used for any facet of the performing arts. It’s four walls where you can perform or rehearse,” said Edwards. “I can’t wait to use this stage; I wish I could start using this facility on Monday. I am going to meld my passions and expertise together to hopefully help build a strong theatre program.”
What some students found most exciting about the building were the dressing rooms that are supplied with showers and individual desk mirrors; just like the ones you would see at any other professional theatre venue.
Maria Guevara, a 22-year-old art major, was one of the many students that took the OCPA tour.
“This facility is amazing,” said Guevara. “I can’t wait to be able to come here and enjoy what this building has to offer.”
Mati Sanchez, Performing Arts Department Chair, was excited about the entire building.
“I teach the Ballet Folklorico dance group and we’ve had to be off-campus for a lot of our practice meetings,” said Sanchez. “But we are ready and very excited to use this new facility.”
Although everyone was in awe of the performing arts portion of the building, the tour was not over yet.
A few steps outside the theatre is the stand-alone building that is specifically framed for the TV/Film production department. It holds 4 editing booths, an stage and a control booth that is still awaiting equipment.
Peter Salazar, a 21-year-old TV/film production major, was pleased with the outcome of this project.
“This building is going to be a really great resource for everybody,” said Salazar. “We’re growing, we’re developing and everything will be centralized in one location.”
James Meznik, VCCCD Chancellor, feels that the new building will be a success and that it will greatly contribute to the arts.
“I think that this building will be a focal point of the arts in the area,” said Meznik. “I also think that it will help build community relations with schools that need venues. If we have faith and put in a little time, you get good results and this is indicative of it.”
Community members and faculty alike felt that this project was once a dream that had just come true for Oxnard College, especially since it is already celebrating its 35th anniversary.
“Beyond what we can do here as a college, we can also accommodate the community or other entities to be able to showcase their work in a venue that is state-of-the art,” said Duran. “This is just another added feature to the comprehensiveness of our college.”
