The 29,743 square foot state-of-the-art fine arts facility was completed in 2018 in Forest City, Iowa. The center includes a 630-seat theatre with a 36’x 80’ stage and orchestra pit. The center also features a green room, dressing rooms, staging and set production area, full fly area and rigging, along with state of the art electronics, lighting and audio visual equipment. The theater can host weddings, special occasions, theatrical performances, art displays, regional and national touring groups, speaker engagements, and the Waldorf University Artist Series.
The complex also features a main floor lobby and art gallery offering approximately 2,000 square feet with available seating for up to 120 people and an overall capacity of 250. This area includes ample adjacent restroom facilities, parking and access to the outdoor patio area.
The upper level mezzanine with approximately 3250 square feet has available seating for 200 people with an overall capacity of 325 and features large, glass windows with a dynamic view of the surrounding community.
The grounds feature a 6,000 square-foot plaza, green space totaling 32,000 square feet, sidewalks and a parking lot.
Location
Mission
The Boman Fine Arts Center seeks to engage and inspire the community through works created by local and traveling artists of varying artistic disciplines in an effort to further the understanding and appreciation of the role art plays in our society.
Vision
The vision of the Boman Fine Arts Center is to be the bedrock of a strong, artistically enhanced community.
Management
Construction administration, fundraising and on going facility management is the responsibility of a board of 6 members comprised of three partners: City of Forest City, Forest City Community Schools and Waldorf University.
Timeline April 2014 - October 2018
Construction
The property was designed by ISG Group and built by Kingland Construction Services.
- Over $1,000,000 of Kingland Construction Services expenses were paid out to entities within the Forest City School District.
- 50% of Kingland Construction Services expenses were paid out to entities within 45 miles of Forest City
- The projected used 35 subcontractors with over 200 people on the job site.
- The building is constructed of precast concrete wall panels with the largest panel being 12'X52' tall and 65,000lbs.
- 134 Tons of steel equal to 45 pick-up trucks was used for the project.
- 1500 cubic yards of concrete was poured. That's equivalent to 150 full concrete trucks.
- Construction technologies used for the project:
- GPS Grading
- ipad integration for daily reporting, time cards and document management.
- CAD computer aided drafting
Design - interior
Fundraising
$10.5 million was raised to complete the project. Large donations for the project was provided by:
John K and Luise V Hanson Foundation
City of Forest City
Forest City Community Schools
Waldorf University
Worth County Development Authority
Winnebago Industries Foundation
Vision Iowa Grant
Iowa Great Places
Local Fundraising Contributions
Events
Events are booked and managed by on site manager, Lynnea Fredrickson-Smith. Ticketing is available through the website at www.bomanfineartscenter.org.
Since opening day in mid October 2018 to March 2019, the Boman Fine Arts Center has hosted over 45 public events. They are currently booking events for this summer into May of 2020. The center has hosted authors, musicians, bands, plays, performance demonstrations, community events, and even the Iowa Supreme Court!
Forest City Community School students use the facility for theatre, speech performances, choir, musical and band performances. Waldorf University uses the facility for choir, guest authors, theatre and musical performances as well has a venue to host the Waldorf Community Artists Series. BrickStreet Theatre, a local theatre company, uses the venue for two main stage show throughout the year, presenting 5 performances each time Expected to be announced soon are two popular music bands that are booked for summer 2019 and a large children's performance event for Fall 2019.
Future Development
Forest City Visioning Committee has designed a cultural arts corridor which will connect Pammel Park, the downtown area, and Waldorf University to the Boman Fine Arts Center. The corridor will provide a new entryway into the community that offers a renovated streetscape and a new lighted 10 foot trail. The corridor will display Forest City’s history through sculptures, banners, murals, roadway medallions, and informational kiosks along the entirety of J Street leading to the Fine Arts Center.
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For more information:
Boman Fine Arts Center
225 John K Hanson Drive
Events calendar and ticketing: www.bomanfineartscenter.org
641-585-2020
Manager: Dan May, BomanFAC@gmail.com (641) 585-2020