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A new day

A new day

Eric F. Spina June 16, 2024

Meg Carlson set the joyous vibe for the grand opening and blessing of the Roger Glass Center for the Arts with her jazzy rendition of “Feeling Good” from the Broadway hit, Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd.

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Students christen the Glass Center with their voices.

Accompanied by the University Jazz Band, the music therapy major sang, “It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life.” Her lilting voice reverberated throughout the grand concert hall during an afternoon open house that brought 600 to the stunning arts center at 29 E. Creative Way on campus.

Later that evening, the student cast of Godspell swayed as they serenaded the audience with the soulful refrain of “Day by Day.”

It was quite a day — and a long time coming. More than 30 years ago, faculty and staff began to envision the transformative power of bringing all the arts together under one roof to provide UD students with a holistic arts education. And between then and now, many people worked very hard to make that dream become today’s reality.

During the grand opening April 13, we soaked in award-winning student artistic achievement in the expansive art gallery. We witnessed soaring dance, music and theatrical performances in the experimental theater and concert hall. We toured Flyer Media’s high-tech studios. We watched a trailer for Funk: The Sound of Dayton, an original documentary written and produced by students.

It was an artistic feast, with pop-up dance and musical performances spilling out into the lobby and out the doors as guests walked down a red carpet to the evening gala. Even the orange, yellow and purple tulips danced and twirled, bobbing gently in the spring breeze.

I’ve described the Roger Glass Center for the Arts as both a blank canvas and a magnificent stage for UD students from any and all majors to express themselves, embark on a journey of self-discovery, take risks — and tap into the unlimited potential of the human spirit. This is a lab for their creativity and imagination.

It’s also a community venue. The center’s two front doors are intentional — one faces the community and one faces the University, extending an open invitation to both. We invite all to experience the way the arts bring us together and make us whole.

"The center’s two front doors are intentional — one faces the community and one faces the University, extending an open invitation to both."

Ro Nita Hawes-Saunders, retired CEO of Dayton Contemporary Dance Co. and a member of the College of Arts and Science’s advisory council, reflected on the symbolism of the centers name, which honors Roger Glass ’67, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist who, sadly, died before the opening.

“When you think about the significance of this occasion, think about the name,” she said during evening remarks in the concert hall. “Is there anything more appropriate than the Glass Center for the Arts? With glass, you see a reflection of yourself and you see a reflection of others.”

Here, in this center, with its panoramic windows and inviting doors, thousands of students in the years to come will collaborate, create, reflect and mirror the transformative power of the arts.

 

Photos by Maggie Endres '26

Screaming!