Months before its completion, Cape Fear Community College’s Humanities and Fine Arts Center has a director. The college announced Friday that Shane Fernando will assume management of the new facility on May 19.
Fernando is currently director of campus life arts and programs at University of North Carolina Wilmington, overseeing performing and visual arts programming for the campus and the community. He also is president of the board of Thalian Hall, and, when his term ends this summer, will become programming consultant for the facility, according to a news release from CFCC.
CFCC’s new Humanities and Fine Arts Center, rising on Third Street between Brunswick and Hanover streets, is a 159,368-square-foot building that will house three floors of academic space for the college’s humanities and fine arts classes and programs, in addition to a 1,500-seat performance hall for theatrical, musical and other cultural events, the release stated. Funds for the building came from a $164 million bond referendum passed by New Hanover County voters in 2008.
The building is on track for completion of construction by the end of 2014 and opening in the spring of 2015, college spokesman David Hardin said Friday afternoon. He said that Fernando’s primary responsibilities will be managing the performance hall and coordinating bookings for it.
“It’s really fortunate that Shane can start soon, because there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work to be done between now and when the building opens,” Hardin said. “Being able to work with the contractors, he will help ensure we make the most of the building’s capabilities.”
The building was designed by LS3P architects and Edifice Construction is the general contractor.
Hardin said that CFCC is already getting requests from organizations that want to book events in the theater.
“Because of Shane’s experience with arts programming in this community, he has a head start,” Hardin said. “It’s also a real bonus that Shane is well known to the community through his work with Thalian Hall and UNCW.” he said.
