Groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Cornell Arts and Entertainment Complex

(From Connect2Culture)

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex will be held Monday, February 1, 2021, 1:00pm at the Complex site (212 West 7th Street, Joplin, MO 64801). In the case of inclement weather, the groundbreaking ceremony will take place Tuesday, February 2, 2021.

Representatives of The Cornell Complex, Connect2Culture, and Spiva Center for the Arts will be on hand, as well as project architects and the construction manager.

Architects for the project are DLR Group/Westlake Reed Leskosky of New York City, NY, and Corner Greer & Associates of Joplin, MO. The Construction Manager for the project is Crossland Construction Company headquartered in Columbus, KS.

All those in attendance are asked to wear face masks and observe social distancing practices (6 feet between themselves and other parties present).

The Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex will be a visual and performing arts center that educates, enlightens, and entertains while attracting more people and activities to downtown Joplin. The multifunctional Complex will include a 470-seat highly adaptable performance hall with theatrical seating that can be converted into a flat floor configuration, a shared stage for both indoor and outdoor performances, new and expanded gallery spaces for Spiva Center for the Arts, an outdoor amphitheater/festival plaza with capacity to host 2,000 people, rooftop venues, potential office space for arts and cultural organizations, and more. Connect2Culture will manage all performance venues, while Spiva Center for the Arts will manage gallery and classroom spaces. It is anticipated that the Complex will be open to the public in late 2022.

Full details about the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex, including a downloadable Gift Form for those who would like to join the effort and available naming opportunities, can be found at cornellcomplex.org. Interested parties may also contact Clifford Wert, Treasurer of The Cornell Complex, at clifford@connect2culture.org.

Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex Board of Directors: Sharon Beshore (President), Clifford Wert (Treasurer), Annette Thurston (Secretary), Anne Curchin, Laurie Delano, Steve Graddy, Troy Hill, Dr. Ronald Lankford, and Angela Austin Vorhees.