Hope Transforms Campaign Proposes Campus Expansion

Graphic of proposed arts corridor via Hope Transforms

New practice rooms, studio spaces and an art gallery are part of a proposed plan to expand the historic side of Belmont’s campus through the Hope Transforms campaign. 

The campaign launched on Oct. 16 and aims to raise $700 million by 2030 for Belmont students, faculty and their ideas to flourish.  

A new arts & design corridor proposes an addition to the Leu Center for the Visual Arts and the Lila D. Bunch Library, totaling 100,000 square feet of expansion for architecture, design and music students. 

“Some of our most dynamic programs have outgrown their current spaces... they need more studios and rehearsal rooms,” says a case statement publication for the Hope Transforms Campaign. 

The expansion to the Leu Center includes new studio space, maker spaces, an enlarged wood and metal shop and a dedicated art gallery. 

New practice rooms are proposed to be built in the parking lot adjacent to the Lila D. Bunch Library for students in the College of Music & Performing Arts. The Hitch building currently has 27 practice rooms for music students, and this expansion would provide more space for them to refine their skills. 

“Rehearsal rooms are in constant demand, with students booking them nearly around the clock... access to high-quality practice spaces is essential to their development,” according to the case statementpublication. 

Along with the arts & design corridor, the Hope Transforms campaign proposes to build upon the model of Belmont’s Dolly U program under the name Hope Labs. This is an apprenticeship-driven, project-basedapproach to learning that will expand across Belmont’s campus. 

“Architecture students might co-design community spaces in partnership with local nonprofits, while nursing students could apprentice in innovative telehealth clinics,” says the case statement publication. 

The Hope Labs program plans to expand beyond the arts, giving students from various colleges at Belmont the chance to learn through hands-on experiences in their field.  

This article was written by Georgina America