Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Art, design, engineering and computer science will collide as Arkansas State University celebrated the opening of its new Windgate Hall of Art and Innovation with a ribbon cutting on Friday.

The building, which was supported through a $25 million gift from the Windgate Foundation, will serve as a place where A-State’s students in the departments of Art + Design and Engineering and Computer Science can collaborate on interdisciplinary projects.

The 38,887-square foot, three-story building features galleries to host exhibitions and display student work, labs, studio space, photography dark rooms, a terrace, and more. It is a next-door neighbor to Art + Design’s Windgate Center for Three-Dimensional Arts, which has spaces for ceramics, woodworking, and other disciplines.

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“The opening of this building today [has] created something truly special: a place where traditional craftsmanship meets emerging technology, where art intersects with engineering and computer science, and where our students are given the space and resources to turn imagination into innovation,” interim A-State chancellor Dr. Calvin White said during the ceremony.

The building includes various state-of-the-art technology and tools for students to use. A-State’s Robotics Club is also expected to being meeting in the building starting in October.

“This lab is equipped with technology and resources that will allow students and faculty to move from an idea to a tangible prototype, from a sketch to an immersive experience,” said Dr. Jake Qualls, interim associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and chair of the Department of Computer Science during the ceremony. “The space provides access to traditional 3D printers … resin printers, laser engravers, virtual reality headsets, high-end virtual reality workstations, and there are plans for more hardware.”

The Windgate Foundation, a Little Rock-based foundation that aims to promote and advance visual arts education, announced the gift to the university in December 2021. It is the single largest gift to A-State in its history. Officials broke ground on the facility in September 2024.

During Friday’s ceremony, attendees participated in tours of facility. Friday’s festivities also kicked off a weekend-long Art + Design alumni reunion, in which alumni were invited to explore the new building and reconnect with old classmates.

In addition to being a space for students work, A-State leadership has previously said the new building will serve as a space for community engagement. It is expected to be used to expand community art activities, such as the annual Halloween Art Bash and Delta Print Symposium.

Senior graphic design student Nathan Scarbrough said he was excited to work in the building for the next year.

“It just feels like an amazing, shared space, where I get to see people that I usually wouldn’t see before,” Scarbrough said in the ceremony. “The fact that every art medium has its own space, they all feel very intentional to make our learning even better than ever.”

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