University leaders, donors and supporters gathered Sept. 24 to celebrate the opening of the first phase of the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, a new 12-acre cultural gateway to The University of Texas at Dallas campus that when complete will include two museums, a performance hall and music building, and a grand plaza.
The Sept. 24 celebration at the O’Donnell Athenaeum featured musical performances.
The first phase features the UT Dallas Art Museums, of which the cornerstone is the Trammell and Margaret Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas. It is the second location for the Crow museum, whose downtown location in the Dallas Arts District will remain open. The UT Dallas Art Museums building, designed by the architectural firm Morphosis, showcases an array of innovative Asian art exhibits, as well as selections from the Dallas Museum of Art, objects from the University’s growing collection of Latin American art and works from Dallas photographer Carolyn Brown.
In addition to the ribbon-cutting for the Phase 1 building, UTD and UT System leaders broke ground on the next phase: a performance hall and music building that is projected to open in fall 2026 for the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology.
The O’Donnell Athenaeum is the latest milestone in a period of significant growth of the arts at UT Dallas and caps a major initiative by Dr. Richard C. Benson, UTD president, to create a vibrant, artistic campus environment and to become a hub for arts in North Texas.
Visitors toured the exhibits now open at the UT Dallas Art Museums after the ribbon-cutting on Sept. 24.
“I can’t help but think of this as the most fitting capstone to the presidency of Richard Benson,” said James B. Milliken, UT System chancellor and the Lee Hage and Joseph D. Jamail Regents Chair in Higher Education Leadership. “Back in his inaugural address eight years ago, Dick set out a vision that foreshadowed this moment today. He noted the students from this university take great joy from music, from art, from dance, from theater, from history and great literature. He vowed to create new venues for the broadly talented men and women who choose UT Dallas because of an opportunity to gain an in-demand degree all the while having the opportunity to express their creativity.”
Benson noted the “visionary gifts and foresight” of the leading donors to the Athenaeum project: the O’Donnell Foundation’s lead gift of $32 million, the Crow family’s support of $25.45 million (in addition to its donation of the entire Crow Museum collection in 2019), the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation’s significant contribution to the performance hall and music building, and early gifts from the late Margaret McDermott and Beatrice “Bea” Wallace.
“Kinmakers: Hidden Songs in Our Mother’s Dreams,” a collaboration between Dr. Laura Hyunjhee Kim, assistant professor of visual and performing arts at UTD, and New York-based multimedia artist Surabhi Saraf, was featured during a community open house on Sept. 28. The immersive installation will be open through March.
“We are grateful for the immense generosity and vision of our donors … for providing the foundation for the arts initiative at UT Dallas, which will benefit not only our campus community, but the North Texas community and beyond,” said Benson, the Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership. “Expanding and enhancing arts facilities and infrastructure was a cornerstone of our Strategic Plan, and this opening is a tremendous step forward in that process.”
The idea for the O’Donnell Athenaeum was championed by the late Dr. Richard Brettell, who was the founding director of UTD’s Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, established in 2014. Brettell envisioned spaces for reflection and discussion across disciplines, spanning the visual and performing arts, literature, and science, and as a bridge between UT Dallas and the local community.
“This complex, like our entire campus, will be a place of learning and growth,” said Dr. Inga H. Musselman, UTD provost, vice president for academic affairs and the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair of Academic Leadership. “Like Dr. Brettell before me, I envision students walking through the museums during their class breaks or taking notes about pieces of art that are displayed here. The performance hall and music building will provide even more opportunities for students.”
Phase 2 of the O’Donnell Athenaeum will include a 680-seat performance hall and music building for the Bass School. The structure will include two large rehearsal rooms, solo rehearsal rooms, a percussion studio, classrooms, a recording studio, a student study lounge and spaces for impromptu musical performances.
Phase 1 – UT Dallas Art Museums
A two-story, 57,000-square-foot building with eight galleries for the Crow Museum of Asian Art and four other spaces for the Carolyn Brown archive, as well as for UTD’s growing Latin American art collection, which includes donations from the Roger Horchow Family Collection and the Laura and Dan Boeckman Collection of Latin American Folk Art.
Phase 2 – Performance Hall and Music Building
A two-story building featuring about 66,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor program space. The centerpiece will be a 680-seat performance hall, as well as rehearsal and practice rooms, teaching studios, a percussion studio, a recording studio, and student and classroom spaces.
Phase 3 – Future Museum
A future museum building and a new campus parking structure with two levels above ground and one basement level walkout.
Visions of Support: Hear from some of the O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum’s founding supporters whose significant philanthropic support is making the vision a reality in this YouTube video
“The new performance hall and music building will become a hub of creativity and provide us the opportunity to engage the broader Dallas community,” said Dr. Nils Roemer, dean of the Bass School; director of the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies; the Arts, Humanities, and Technology Distinguished University Chair; and the Stan and Barbara Rabin Distinguished Professor in Holocaust Studies. “It will elevate the arts experience with a world-class stage for students and faculty. It will provide opportunities for us to showcase our incredible talent on campus and attract distinguished performers. Designed with a focus on interconnectedness, the classrooms, rehearsal rooms and studios will enable teaching, learning and performing to take place seamlessly.”
The Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation’s landmark $40 million gift in 2023 to UT Dallas named the school and supported Phase 2 of the Athenaeum project.
Phase 3, the final addition of the O’Donnell Athenaeum, will include a second museum and a parking structure.
The new Crow Museum is the first major art museum located north of Interstate 635 and in close proximity to the Collin County and northern Dallas County suburbs. The Phase 1 building features the beginnings of an outdoor sculpture garden and 12 galleries – eight Crow Museum galleries and four other galleries. The structure includes the Brettell Reading Room, a dedicated art object study room, a conservation studio, a seminar room, the Lotus Shop, lecture and event areas, and covered outdoor space.
“This day celebrates the many decades of Trammell and Margaret Crow’s deep love for learning and dedication to fostering understanding and compassion in our world,” said Amy Lewis Hofland, senior director of the Crow Museum. “By sharing their collection beyond its original home in the Dallas Arts District onto the UTD campus, we will continue to reach the minds and hearts of new generations.”
Led by design partner Arne Emerson, Morphosis developed the master plan for the O’Donnell Athenaeum and designed the buildings. Partnering with Morphosis is GFF, the local architect. The Beck Group is leading construction as the project’s general contractor with its joint venture partner EJ Smith Construction.
The UT Dallas Art Museums and the Crow Museum are free and open to the public Tuesday through Sunday.
This article by Heidi Harris Cannella originally appeared in the UT Dallas News Center.