BSU Offers Peek at Arts Center, Free Performance

The new Fine and Performing Arts Center at Bowie State University (BSU) will host free performances, open to the public, on Thursday and Friday.

Paige in Full, presented by Baltimore native Paige Hernandez, tells the story of a multicultural girl growing up in Baltimore whose identity is shaped by her ethnicity and popular culture, according to a release from BSU. The performance will feature a combination of poetry, dance, visual arts and live music.

The shows will take place at 2 p.m. on (followed by a "talk back" with performers) and 8 p.m. on . Both shows are free and tickets will be handed out at the door. For more information, call 301-860-3769 or 301-860-3755.

This is the first "major performance" in the new Fine and Performing Arts Center, according to BSU. The two-year construction project, that reportedly cost $71 million, is nearly complete. A grand opening will be held in the fall, said BSU spokeswoman Amanda Warfield.

According to the BSU website, the center includes:

• Specialized art studios for areas like dance, recording and ceramics.
• Photography processing lab.
• Art gallery.
• Outdoor sculpture workspace.
• 400-seat main theater.
• 200-seat black box theater.
• 200-seat recital hall.
• Spacious classrooms, laboratories and office suites.