Art

Cleveland Hall

Cleveland Hall originally housed a gymnasium and staff offices. The classically styled building has served Denison for the past three decades as the home of the studio arts. The arts are flourishing at Denison – students log as many credit hours in the fine arts as they do in the natural sciences. Denison's $160 million Higher Ground Campaign has made it possible to thoroughly renovate this beautiful building, creating a modern studio art and art history facility inside the building's historic facade. The new facility will have a state-of-the-art digital media lab, where students can incorporate technology into their experiences as artists and scholars.

The renovation was publicly announced in April 2005. To date, Denison has received gifts and pledges exceeding $115 million, making it the most successful fund-raising effort in the institution's 175-year history. The Bryant gift is the second-largest commitment ever received from a family for a capital facility.

Campaign Co-Chair Thomas Hoaglin '71, president, Board chair and CEO of Huntington Bancshares, Inc., responded enthusiastically to the announcement, praising the Bryants for their leadership on behalf of this important campaign component.

"Don first encountered the wonders of the world of art while studying at Denison," Hoaglin said, "and he has been able to maintain that interest as a central part of his life ever since. He is to be commended for following his heart and helping us to keep the fine arts at the center of the liberal arts experience."

Don is a trustee of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City and serves on the International Advisory Board of the Tate Gallery in London. In 2000, the Bryants endowed the Barbara Murphy Bryant Professorship in Art History at Washington University of St. Louis, Barbara's alma mater. The Bryants were lead gift donors to the Bryant Art Center at the Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School in St. Louis. He is heavily involved in the St. Louis arts community, working with such organizations as the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Dance St. Louis, and the St. Louis Art Museum.

Barbara works with The Haven of Grace, a transitional residential shelter for homeless pregnant women, and is a founding member of the steering committee for the Bowery Mission Women's Residential Center in New York City. She serves as vice president of the Bryant Family Vineyards and is a trustee of the Trinity Forum, an organization that works to cultivate networks of leaders.

Hoaglin's co-chair in the Higher Ground drive, civic volunteer Mary Jane Armacost '62, also affirmed the importance of the Bryants' commitment, emphasizing that the gift will preserve an important Denison landmark.

"Cleveland Hall is a defining structure on our campus skyline," Armacost said. "It is on one of the major paths between the upper and lower campuses, meaning students pass by it every day. Renovation will return it to its pristine beauty and preserve it for future generations."

Don himself is straightforward about why the project appealed to him and the family: "Barbara and I have been active in the art world for many years, and we believe it is important to support learning in the arts. Additionally, we are avid collectors and have lent and donated many paintings and sculptures to museums. Personally, with the exception of my family, there is nothing that gives me more pleasure than art. It's my true passion."

 The renovation of Denison University's historic Cleveland Hall includes a substantial addition on the east side which, in the words of the architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle, "will play off the formal qualities of the existing building with contemporary design." To the north (uphill), additions will include faculty offices and a foundry.