Alabama Center for the Arts Breaks Ground on $15M Facility to Expand Music and Dance Opportunities for Students
On September 9, leaders from Calhoun Community College, Athens State University, Decatur City Schools and local legislators gathered to break ground on the Alabama Center for the Arts’ (ACA) new Academy for Music and Movement. The state-of-the-art, 14,000-square-foot, two-story facility will provide expanded space for music and dance programs, serving both current and future students.
According to Kim Parker, Dean and Executive Director of the Alabama Center for the Arts, the building will feature a mezzanine and an open area roof terrace for small gatherings. The first floor will include a large dance area with temporary seating for performances, a music chamber room, restrooms, changing rooms, and a lobby. The second floor will house music practice rooms, listening rooms, an additional large dance area, and a multi-purpose room. Construction is expected to take about 14 months, with the facility slated to open in January 2026.
“We’ve outgrown our space with students, and that is a great problem to have,” Parker explained. “Our current facility couldn’t accommodate the growing number of music groups and vocalists we’ve introduced. This new building will solve that, providing six music practice rooms and a large chamber to support group rehearsals, offering much-needed space for our vocalists and instrumentalists to practice,” Parker added.
The Academy will also house a dance program, which is still in development. The college is working closely with Decatur City Schools and other partners to determine the types of dance that will be offered and to create the program’s curriculum.
“Our goal has always been to ensure the Alabama Center for the Arts represents all forms of art to retain and attract students,” said Dr. Jimmy Hodges, President of Calhoun Community College. “Adding dance and new areas of music to our offerings made perfect sense. The ACA continues to evolve into the comprehensive arts facility we envisioned during its inception, and that success is due to the unwavering support of our local legislators, school districts, community partners, and the Alabama Community College System,” Hodges adds.
The new facility will be located adjacent to The Brick, with an additional 3,170-square-foot storage building to be constructed just north of the alley between First and Second Avenues in downtown Decatur.
For more information about the Alabama Center for the Arts and its arts programs, click here.