Historical preservationist and IU alumna Gayle Cook gave a donation to the university to help restore Maxwell Hall and house a new center for public arts and humanities, IU announced in a Jan. 16press release.
The renovated Maxwell Hall will house the new Gayle Karch Cook Center for Public Arts and Humanities.
The gift also includes a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities worth $500,000 to fund the renovations to Maxwell Hall. Renovations will begin in the spring and are expected to be completed by fall 2020, according to the release. The release did not specify the amount of Cook’s donation.
"Maxwell Hall sits at the crossroads between the campus and the community," Provost Lauren Robel said in the release. "Gayle's gift will return Maxwell Hall to the public sphere as a dynamic hub for the spectacular humanities and arts of our campus."
The new center will be home to several of IU-Bloomington’s arts and humanities organizations, including the Arts and Humanities Council, College Arts and Humanities Institute, the Center for Rural Engagement, IU Corps and Traditional Arts Indiana, according to the press release.
In the past two years, IU-Bloomington has secured more than $2.5 million in external arts and humanities funding, according to the release. Since 2016, it has earned awards for arts and humanities exceeding $30 million.
The new space in Maxwell Hall will help faculty develop new teaching techniques, research and creative activity that is multidisciplinary, public-facing and socially responsive, Ed Comentale, director of the IU Arts and Humanities Council, said in the release.
"Maxwell Hall provides a beautiful setting for celebrating the arts and humanities," Comentale said in the release. "The center, as both a showcase and active scholarly hub, will cement our reputation as a national leader in efforts to affirm the contemporary value and utility of the arts and humanities."
