JDAC Construction

This is the place to find construction updates and more on the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center (JDAC) at Hastings College.

For recap of the JDAC dedication, video and facts about the JDAC, click here.

August 22, 2016: JDAC is Open!

For a moment, time stood still when Challenger, a free flying bald eagle, flew low over the more than 1,000 people gathered for the August 20 dedication of the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center on the campus of Hastings College. Circling gracefully behind the crowd, Challenger landed as the Star Spangled Banner, played by the Hastings Symphony Orchestra, came to an end.

While Jackson Dinsdale’s first love was art, not far behind was his love of eagles. It was a fitting beginning to the dedication and celebration, which took place on what would have been Jackson’s 24th birthday.

Gathered in the crowd were Jackson’s parents Kim and Tom Dinsdale and members of their family and friends; Hastings College President Don Jackson ’70 and other college officials and trustees; Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and former Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman; many artists, including Jun Keneko, who has a piece installed outside the new facility, and George Lundeen ‘71; Pulitzer Prize winner and former Poet Laureate Ted Kooser; Pamela Hilton Snow, former executive director of the Nebraska Cultural Endowment; art collectors such as Karen and Robert Duncan; and many other individuals from across community and region.

For the full recap and more, click here, or watch a video of the event above.

August 19, 2016: All Set!

Construction is over. The main gallery is ready with some amazing pieces from Karen and Robert Duncan. The east gallery is filled with pieces from faculty. A crew is cleaning and prepping for tomorrow’s dedication. Chairs and a stage are being setup in the Gray Center/JDAC parking lot.

The dedication will begin promptly at 5:00pm. Parking is available in the Osborne Family Sports Complex and not adjacent to the building, so please allow for time to make your way to the seating area. (Guests can be dropped off closer to the art center.)

If you are unable to attend, HC Media will be livestreaming the event.

August 9 Update

Construction and setup are nearly over! The Jackson Dinsdale Art Center dedication is set for August 20 at 5:00pm. Shown below are just a few images from the nearly complete JDAC. On the left is pottery, center is a self-portrait of Jackson that hangs in the main entry (that’s Turner McGehee on the right!) and upper/right is the donor wall piece. The right/lower image gives an updated exterior look—complete with plantings and grass.

It’s almost ready…and we can’t wait to show you this fabulous new facility.

July 28, 2016 Update

In the last two weeks, we’ve seen finish painting happen on the interior, concrete floors polished, additional lighting elements added, landscaping begin and the glass blowing equipment get fired up and calibrated. What’s next? Furniture, equipment and more – all starting next week!

Below left is the exterior view from the corner of E. 12th Street and N. Elm Avenue. Below right shows the JDAC main entrance and the Gray Center across what will be a rebuilt parking area. The bottom image is the view of the glass studio from the sidewalk along N. Elm Avenue. Walkers, joggers and bikers will have a great view!

Below left is the lobby light/art piece and the smaller gallery, which will be used for student reviews and additional main lobby/reception space (the glass doors slide out of the way). Top right is the main gallery, and bottom right is professor Tom Kreager showing us that the glass furnace is indeed up and running. The manufacturer rep for the glass equipment was here this week calibrating everything. He noted that the space is the best glass blowing studio of any college or university in the country.

July 13 Update

Since our last update, the exterior construction fence has been removed and significant progress has been made inside. The construction crew is working through a punch list on the south side of the building now that the bulk of the work in that section is done–lot’s of cleaning and polishing is happening! The punch list for the north side of the building is being created today.

The top/left image here is a piece of art that also lights the main lobby area of the building. Top/right is the printmaking space; the alien looking tubes are movable vents. The bottom row of photos shows sinks in a restroom, booths for acid washing and a general classroom.

Below are updated exterior shots. Top/left and right are the south side of the building and main entrance; both face the Gray Center. The lower/left image is the back entrance between the south and north wings.

June 28, 2016 Update

In the last few weeks, we’ve seen new furnaces and glassblowing equipment arrive to the JDAC. And just yesterday, Professor Tom Kreager and students helped set and level the units in place. In the photo below, Tom is standing by one of the new furnaces (you can see both in the lower left image). The main entrance to the building has sidewalks installed, and in the lower center photo you can see the movable glass doors for the lobby gallery, while the main gallery is in the lower right.

In this photo you get an up close look at two of the five new glory holes, where glass is kept hot enough to shape after leaving the furnace. The garage door to a metal working area is the top, right photo, while the bottom right shows the metal “skin” that covers and provides shade for portions of the building.

May 20: Progress!

A lot has changed at the JDAC since we last went inside! In the image below, the two shots on the left are print making (top) and drawing (bottom) rooms — and you can see there’s drywall, cupboards and more in place, including walls/ceilings that are primed. The shots on the right are of the gallery. The top photo is from the outside, where you can see the frosted glass. The bottom image shows two of the gallery’s walls, which are set in from the glass, allowing light to flow around them.

The top photos in this image are of the glass studio (left) and Art Professor Tom Kreager standing in front if what will be his new office (right). The lower, left image is outside the northeast side of the structure. On the right inside the big garage door is metal working, and on the left (inside) is painting. The metal structure shown here and in the front of the building will be wrapped with a coppery looking metal mesh.

May 1, 2016: Aerial View

Here are some aerial shots of the new art center! The top photo shows E. 12th Street on the left and Gray Center parking lot on the top/right, with N. Ash Avenue is on the far right. Bottom left shows the JDAC looking west (E. 12th Street is on the right), and the bottom right photo is looking north, northwest (N. Ash Avenue is top left and E. 12th Street is top right).

April: Exterior Work Continues

With good weather, progress continues on the exterior of the new art center. On the upper left is a photo taken from the bridge between the arena parking lot and the Gray Center. Upper right, is the northwest corner where the glass blowing studio will be. The large openings are for garage-style doors that that can open during nice weather and for more visitors to watch. Lower left is the main building entrance, which faces south (toward the Gray Center). The lower center shot is for outdoor kilns, and the lower right is for outdoor metal working.

Mid-March 2016: Memories and Inspiration

Faculty, staff and students got their first look of the JDAC on Friday, March 18. While contractors gave mini-tours to view progress, all were invited to write memories, inspiration or other messages on a wall that will be covered as construction progresses.

Messages took many forms, from memories of Jackson Dinsdale, for whom the building is named, to excitement about what the building means to the College to thank you messages to those making Jackson’s dream a reality.

Early March Update

There’s been a lot of progress in the last six weeks! Studs for walls have gone up, windows are going in and exterior brickwork is progressing quickly (good weather helps!).

The top image below shows the glass blowing space in the new art center. Large open spaces in the studs are where new furnaces will go. The space is a significant upgrade from our current glass facility, and large garage-style doors on the opposite wall from the furnaces (not shown) will expand the area for visitors and students alike.

Bottom left is the metal working studio, and bottom right is a portion of the gallery.

Below: Photos on the left show exterior walls. The top photo faces south (toward the Gray Center). The lower brick is on, while the top portion will be covered with a different material. The lower left photo is the main entrance, with the gallery on the left. It also faces the Gray Center.

Top, right is a classroom, and lower, right is the drawing room.

A First Look Inside! (mid-January 2016)

We’ve seen much progress in the last few weeks! While not all floors are poured, those shown here are either poured concrete or about to be poured (lower left). The upper right image is the drawing/painting rooms, which enjoy fabulous northern natural light.

Construction Update (mid-December 2015)

The top image below shows the view from the corner of E. 12th Street and N. Elm Avenue. The lower image shows where the drawing and painting studios will be (left) and metal working (right). Notice that roof panels are going on in the top image, where the glass studio will be located, and that drawing/painting studios are already enclosed.

This image shows a view looking at the southwest corner of the JDAC. On the far left is the glass studio, then the art gallery and on the right, the entry and lobby. Further down on the right are student studios, classrooms and a print making studio.

Updated Renderings (December 2015)

Here are updated renderings of the main building entrance, highlighting the “JDAC” sign, and the lobby just inside the entrance. The image on the right shows a classroom, which, by removing walls and the chairs and tables, will enlarge the lobby, creating what will be a fantastic reception space.

Walls, Steel and Roofing (November-December 2015)

The image on the left shows where the building’s main entrance will be, while the lower right image faces north and is where the painting studio will be located.

Footings and Block Work (September-October 2015)

Following site prep in the summer, work on footings got underway, followed by block work. Some walls were also poured concrete.

Groundbreaking! (April 2015)

Hastings College officials broke ground to celebrate the start of construction on the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center.

“This is a dream come true — the realization that the work we do with our students is recognized and rewarded,” said Tom Kreager, Professor of Art at Hastings College. “We will move from the maze of rooms, stairways and hallways that currently house the Art Department to the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center (JDAC) — an art facility designed and built with our students in mind, designed with the input and knowledge of the art faculty.”

Check out the video from the groundbreaking and this news release for more.

New Art Center Announced (November 2014)

Located at the corner of 12th Street and Elm Avenue, the 25,000-square-foot Jackson Dinsdale Art Center will be an architecturally innovative showplace for the arts and a superb teaching and learning environment for students. The College expects to open the building during the 2016-17 academic year.

The facility will include modern classrooms, a beautiful art gallery and well-equipped studios for the full spectrum of art media taught at Hastings:

• Glassblowing,
• Sculpture,
• Painting,
• Ceramics,
• Printmaking,
• Drawing and
• Photography.

Check out the video below or this news release for building renderings and details.