The new 3,596 square foot art wing will officially open to students in the fall of next year, bringing with it hopes of shiny, new facilities for the students who will be using them and groans of jealousy for the seniors who will be leaving it all behind.

The use of the new art wing will also spur a reshuffling of multiple classes.

For photography students, the new building comes with added benefits and expansions, as the second floor of the new building will feature a larger darkroom than the one currently used.

Additionally, the new photography floor will house a machine used to dry film quickly, which speeds up the developing process. The machine was taken out of the photography facilities before the 2009-2010 year, but will be a much-appreciated feature of the new photography room.

As construction ends and the photography classes relocate into the new building, the music department will expand into what used to be the photography studio to open up practice rooms for music students to rehearse in.

The bottom floor of the new art wing will be converted to a new Drawing and Painting classroom, allowing space for the drama department to relocate from Rm. 115 to Rm. 306.

Once renovated, the new drama room will act as a space for both rehearsals and performances, while Rm. 115 will be converted into a science classroom.

The addition of movable bleachers and seating will allow the drama students to cater the space specifically to each production, be it by creating a black box theater, in which the stage is in the center surrounded by seating, or by arranging the stands in other formations.

Though EPiC has a long wish-list of items to add to the new space, such as curtains, the high cost of renovating will prevent the program from adding everything next year.

The funding for the relocation was provided in large part by the school, and further funding will likely come from grants and drama fundraisers, particularly the annual Dance-A-Thon.