Bringing Art to Lives

The playwright Oscar Wilde once said the stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts; it is also the return of art to life. For the past century, USU has fostered the arts on campus and throughout the Cache Valley area. In a new commitment to the arts and their importance to life, the academic units of art, creative writing, interior design, landscape architecture and environmental planning, music, theatre arts and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art have joined together to form the Caine School of the Arts.

The Caine School, built from a community of artists, teachers, students and patrons, has been named in recognition of the ongoing support and commitment to the arts provided by the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation. This new organization will make the arts more visible and more fully integrated into the intellectual and cultural life of the university and the communities it serves. Through its efforts, the school will enrich the cultural environment of Cache Valley, the state of Utah and the region.

Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall is a new 20,000-square-foot building serving USU, the Cache Valley community and the Intermountain region. A gift from Manon and Kathryn, the venue features a 400-seat performance hall, a stage for up to 22 performers and a lobby with glass windows overlooking a plaza. The hall's intimate scale is ideal for small acoustical performances, including chamber music, vocal and instrumental concerts, recitals, readings and lectures. Manon and Kathryn's donation to build the performance hall was the largest individual gift in the university's history. This premier venue will enrich the academic, professional and personal lives of USU students and faculty and will be a gathering place where art will touch life.