Missouri State University will kick off a new chapter for the arts on campus with the swing of a sledgehammer.   

The campus community will come together for the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex Demolition Kick-Off Ceremony at 2 p.m., Dec. 16 inside the Art Annex, directly north of the Grand Street Underpass. Parking is available in lots 22 and 24.  

The ceremony marks the start of efforts to reimagine the arts complex, a space that will inspire creativity and expression for generations.   

“This transformational structural project is inspired by the largest one-time gift in Missouri State University,” said Dr. Shawn Wahl, dean of the Reynolds College of Art, Social Sciences and Humanities  “This new facility will have a positive impact on all of our academic programs in the Reynolds College School of the Arts and the broader community.   

“The Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex is yet another enhancement inspired by private money that raises the profile of Missouri State University.” 

Following a brief program, light refreshments will be served. 

About the arts complex 

An eight-figure gift from the C.W. Titus Foundation will support construction of a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance arts, social sciences and humanities education. The donation is the largest one-time, single gift in university history.  

The university also received a state appropriation of $17.5 million to support the project.  

Serving as the university’s new “front porch,” the campus entryway at Grand Street will be transformed into a welcoming threshold to the community. Inspired by front porches in the residential neighborhood to the south, it will be a place of connection and a celebration of all things art.   

This complex builds on the work already completed to the university’s arts corridor in downtown Springfield, known as Brick City; renovations to university music facilities in Ellis Hall; the addition of the John Goodman Amphitheatre in the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Arts Park and the recent completion of the Grand Street underpass.