The Crewe Center for the Arts responds to the needs of our students, faculty, visiting artists, and audiences with accessible spaces for both the visual and performing arts. The Center will be the new home of USM’s renowned Dr. Alfred and D. Suzi Osher School of Music, a premier public university music program. In June 2021, USM received a historic $10,000,000 gift from Maine philanthropist and arts patron, Dorothy Suzi Osher to name the School of Music and to launch this signature building project.
The new facility is designed to meet LEED Silver sustainability standards. Key spaces within the Crewe Center for the Arts are described below.
Performance Hall
The Performance Hall is designed to be a flexible, acoustically excellent venue with seating for 200, featuring integrated audio/visual systems that will accommodate vocal and instrumental ensembles, light opera, and dance performances.
Arts Lab
The Arts Lab is a special, multipurpose space with telescopic tiered seating for 50-75 that can accommodate a wide range of art, music, theatre, and dance needs, including rehearsals, recitals, and events. It integrates seamlessly with the Great Hall Gallery, expanding its capabilities as an event space.
Great Hall Gallery
At the core of the Crewe Center is the Great Hall Gallery, a unique exhibition space with moveable walls, integrated lighting, audio, and display technology, that is ideal for interdisciplinary events and installations. With stunning architectural features, it forms a visual connection to the sculpture garden, academic quad, and Bedford Park.
Visual Arts Studio
This flexible classroom and workshop space will support a range of educational needs for the visual arts, with an etching press, letter printing press, moveable tables, seating, and a utility sink. The Center for Book Arts Display provides secure exhibition space and institutional identity. The Studio is home to the Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts.
Visual Arts Terrace
Recognizing the importance of natural light, the Visual Arts Studio will include a retractable glass wall, which leads to the Visual Arts Terrace, an ideal space for outdoor art-making in various disciplines.
Kate Cheney Chappell ’83 Center for Book Arts
The Visual Arts Studio will serve as the home for the Center for Book Arts, providing expanded workshop and exhibition space for this growing program dedicated to the creation of unique handprinted, handmade artists’ books.