By line: Maryam Hawari, Managing Editor
Photo By: Maryam Hawari
The official ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. in the VAPA building. The free celebratory event will include live performances, multimedia art and an exclusive gallery opening, with available guest parking at Lot 8.
An art exhibit titled “When We Were Very Young at Cypress College,” created by Gallery Director Janet Owen Driggs, is being held for the celebration. While the Oct. 15 RSVP deadline passed, organizers are finalizing preparations for the event. Cocktail attire is encouraged but not required.
Chief Campus Communications Officer Marc Posner walked through the exhibit, viewing historical artwork and remarking how it shadows the late 1960s, when Chargers first experienced the creation of the mural. “One thing that stands out to me is the scholarship that Janet Owen Driggs put into recognizing Sergio O’Cadiz’s mural and library,” Posner said.
Another piece Posner highlighted in the ceremony is the golden and purple coats on display. “In the early days of the college anyone who was out representing the college would grab a gold coat,” said Posner. He also found the library’s piece of a Lakeshore Circle sign exhibited the historic remnants.
Music Department Chair Gary Gopar’s jazz band will be performing at the ground level during the ceremony at 7 p.m. Gopar plans to perform “Sir Duke,” a track made by Stevie Wonder composed as a tribute to jazz pianist Duke Ellington.
“The building is much more beautiful and the sound quality in each room… the band room has all wood floors so we have good reverb, and we got power in the floor so we don’t have to run 50-foot extension cables across an entire room,” said Gopar.
Bradley Hampton, Associate Professor of Vocal Music and Music Theory, reflected on practice intensity leading up to the grand opening. “We’re deep in the trenches,” Hampton said.
The ceremony will also include a dance and multimedia arts section. “We have a new building and we have been waiting three years for it… and our preparations have been very smooth,” Dance Department Chair Maha Afra said.
