Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center Comes to Life

The opening performance at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center

Schola Cantorum and U of A Wind Ensemble, Dale Warren conducting

Jim and Joyce Faulkner receive a standing ovation from the opening night audience

Joyce and Jim Faulkner with portrait

Joyce and Jim Faulkner speaking during the dedication ceremony

l-r: President Don Bobbitt, Ronda Mains, Dean Todd Shields, Joyce and Jim Faulkner, Chancellor Dan Ferritor

Photo by Matt Reynolds

Faulkner Performing Arts Center

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center at the University of Arkansas was formally dedicated with an inaugural private concert Thursday, Sept. 17, and a public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18.

The celebration continued Friday night with an encore public concert at 7:30 p.m.

The Faulkner Center was originally known as the Field House and was built in 1937 with funds from the Public Works Administration. It was first used as the home of the men’s basketball program and also as an auditorium for musical events. Generations of U of A students went through class registration in the Field House. The building housed the University Museum from 1984 to 2006 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Jim and Joyce Faulkner, long-time supporters, made a $6 million donation to the university in 2012. The donation was specifically given toward the cost of renovating and remodeling the Field House, to transform it into a world-class performing arts center. The UA System Board of Trustees voted to name the building in honor of the Faulkners and their generous gift.

"Joyce and I think making a donation to the University of Arkansas is really making a donation to the entire state -- in fact to the entire country," said Jim Faulkner. “Joyce and I have been involved with music and other arts as far back as our grade school years in Malvern and Benton. In high school, we were both clarinet players in our bands. For my first couple of years in Fayetteville, I was in the Razorback Band, and that is a great memory for me. During our time in Little Rock, we have been involved with the Arkansas Symphony, the River City Men’s Chorus, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Arkansas Arts Center and several other groups. So when it was suggested that we might help in creating a new performing arts center for the university, it seemed like a good opportunity to combine our appreciation of the arts with our love for the University of Arkansas.”

The total cost for renovation of the building was more than $18 million, with contributions from a host of private donors. The center is 39,400 square feet, with about 600 seats and a stage that will accommodate as many as 250 performers.

The Faulkner Performing Arts Center will host performances by U of A students, faculty and ensembles including the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Concert Band, Campus Band, New Music Ensemble, University Symphony Orchestra, Schola Cantorum, Concert Choir, Inspirational Chorale, Women’s Choir, Percussion Ensemble, Pan Band, Jazz Band, and Opera, as well as guest artists and lecturers.

As many as 200 events a year are expected to be held in the Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

“This is a significant addition to our campus, and a giant step forward in our ability to support and advance the performing arts,” said interim Chancellor Dan Ferritor. “The Faulkner Performing Arts Center is sure to attract a new generation of talented performers and give us an edge in recruiting top musical talent to the university. The best voices and musicians need a stage commensurate with their abilities, and now we have one.”

Todd Shields, dean of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, said that the new facility will be a great benefit to both the campus and to Northwest Arkansas.

“A vibrant community needs and values both the sciences and the arts,” Shields said. “Several studies have cited public art and public performance as key factors in recruiting and retaining the professional work force necessary to expand the knowledge-based economy.

“The University of Arkansas is committed to becoming a Mecca for the arts. We expect this center will have a major impact on our performing arts programs, the cultural life of our campus, and the university’s ability to contribute to the artistic advances that facilities like the Walton Arts Center and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art have brought to Northwest Arkansas.”

The Department of Music in Fulbright College will directly benefit from the Faulkner Center. The music department currently has more than 300 undergraduate and graduate students and 38 faculty members and can now add a state-of-the-art performance venue to its resources.

During the center’s inaugural concert Thursday, students and faculty from the music department performed in a variety of ensembles and vocal groups. A highlight of the event was the premiere of Fanfare for the Faulkner Center, composed by professor Robert Mueller and performed by the University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Brass.

“The Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall has served our students and our department faithfully for decades, and will continue to do so for more intimate performances,” said Ronda Mains, chair of the music department. “But the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center opens up so many new possibilities and will enable us to reach a much larger audience. It is truly exhilarating to see this dream become a reality, and we can’t thank the Faulkners enough. I hope that everyone will join us tonight to hear our talented students and faculty and experience the magic of the beautiful concert hall.”

The visual arts are also represented at the Faulkner Center, in the form of bronze casts of five sculptures by New York artist D.E. McDermott. Joy of Dance, with two figures on a single base, Muse with a Flute, Muse with a Lyre, and Ovation stand in front of the center, greeting people as they enter for a performance, or as they pass by the building.

McDermott’s original Joy of Dance sculpture is on permanent display in Shinji, Japan.

Jim and Joyce Faulkner, photo by Russell Cothren

Jim and Joyce Faulkner of Little Rock are founding members of the Towers of Old Main, have funded Chancellor’s Scholarships in several fields of study and were involved in the restoration of Old Main.

Jim Faulkner holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas and Joyce Faulkner holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. They are A-plus Life members of the Arkansas Alumni Association, and all five of their children attended the University of Arkansas.

About the Department: The Department of Music inspires the mind and spirit through the pursuit of excellence in creative activity, research, teaching and performance. The multidisciplinary department hosts year-round performances by students, faculty and guest artists and offers academic and professional training in performance, composition, ethnomusicology and music education, history, theory and business.

About Fulbright College: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.