According to the Arts and Science Centers blog, The ARTSpace and ARTWORKS received a Merit Award during the 2021 AIA Arkansas Design Awards, presented Oct. 21 in Hot Springs. The award is the latest design honor bestowed upon the new community arts and events spaces in downtown Pine Bluff. Projects of The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, the renovated buildings opened to the public in summer 2021.
The facilities have also been selected to receive the 2021 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Adaptive Reuse from Preserve Arkansas. The award will be presented at a ceremony Jan. 28, 2022, at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock.
In September, the buildings received a Bronze Award for Adaptive Reuse from the South Central chapter of the American Society of Interior Design (ASID). The honors were part of the chapter’s 2021 Excellence in Design Awards.
The ARTSpace (623 S. Main St.) and ART WORKS (627 S. Main St.) supplement ASC’s main building at 701 S. Main St. The three facilities comprise ASC’s “ARTx3” campus and initiative.
“The Arts & Science Center is thrilled to receive such wonderful recognition from the AIA Arkansas and Preserve Arkansas for the ARTx3 project,” said ASC Executive Director Dr. Rachel Miller. “It’s been a true labor of love. These awards are also recognition of the progressive and creative efforts of the community of Pine Bluff to diversify the creative economy and establish dynamic spaces that foster opportunities to engage the whole community through the arts.”
AMR Architects of Little Rock led the buildings’ design, collaborating with designLAB architects in Boston. East Harding Construction of Little Rock oversaw the construction and renovation of the 100-year-old buildings.
Beautiful and functional examples of adaptive reuse, the buildings were constructed in the 1920s. Renovations converted the dark, industrial buildings into bright, open multifunctional spaces.
“AMR Architects, in partnership with designLAB architects focused on how to elevate the Arts and Science Center’s mission in conjunction with the revitalization of downtown Pine Bluff,” said AMR partner and architect Jonathan Opitz, AIA. “With Dr. Miller leading the design and construction teams, we were able to transform two existing deteriorating downtown buildings into shining examples of what is possible through restoration and renovation. We really appreciate all the community stakeholders engaging in the process to ensure the end product serves the needs of the community. We value the project being recognized for awards, but the greatest reward is getting to hear the community respond to the finished product. We are grateful to have been a part of this process and the success story that is the ARTx3 project,” he said.
The ARTSpace and ART WORKS were made possible by grants from the Windgate Foundation and Kline Family Foundation, and from donations to the Adam B. Robinson Jr. Endowment Fund.
