The Arts Council cut the ribbon Friday morning on the new, completed pavilion at Smithgall Arts Center.
The pavilion shares a name with a familiar face: Arts Council Executive Director Gladys Wyant.
"Gladys had this vision for a long, long time," said Board of Directors President Christina Jones.
Wyant is retiring, and the organization is looking for a successor. In her tenure, she developed a plan for a pavilion structure on one of the Arts Council properties.
"Everything seems to be last minute in planning, since the Governor is lifting the restrictions on social gatherings a little bit more, and we're planning a number of events this summer," said Wyant. "We haven't had a live performance since February of 2020."
The pavilion was completely donor-funded, Jones said, and it was not halted by the pandemic.
"Really, over COVID was when it was built, and it was really perfect timing because we couldn't have any performances, we couldn't do a whole lot."
The first concert at the venue will be Friday night, a jazz concert that had previously been postponed.
The Arts Council broke ground in January 2020. The pavilion is attached to and blended with the Smithgall Arts Center, or the former train depot, and overlooks the former rail yard. The 50 foot by 50 foot stage has barriers that can be removed depending on the event, as well as lighting and ventilation. It can hold 299 guests.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2021/4/997891/new-pavilion-named-after-arts-council-official-first-concert-friday