About Us

Do you hear the beat – the one coming from the stately building standing on the east side of the MidAmerica campus, just off the new Mur-Len entrance?  It’s the beat of the arts, and the building is the Bell Cultural Events Center.

It is not uncommon to walk through the hallways of the Bell Center and hear the words, “This is an awesome facility!  How did it come about?”  We like to hear the “awesome” part because it means the goal was accomplished.  “How did it come about?” – that takes a little time to answer.

It was a dream and a goal – to have a beautiful and useable and flexible Fine Arts academic building and cultural center with a state-of-the-art performing arts hall – a dream that took some 20 years to fulfill.

When MidAmerica Nazarene University first opened its doors in 1972, the Fine Arts Division set up “temporary” residence in Dobson Hall – a nice building, built to be used for office and classroom space – not for practice rooms, a choir, and a band.  It quickly became evident that no one practiced “alone” since everyone in the building could hear what was happening in any of the rooms.

When Dr. Dennis Crocker became division chair in 1986, he began dreaming of the day when MNU would be known not only for its musicians, but for its Fine Arts facility.  There are no academic disciplines more impacted by a facility than music and theatre.  The dream came to fruition after years of planning and many generous financial contributions with the official opening of the Bell Cultural Events Center in August of 2007.  It serves both the musicians and thespians of the University with excellence.

The 40,000 square foot building was designed by a talented architectural team from Hollis & Miller.  The acoustical engineer was Joseph Myers of Kirkegaard and Associates.  The audio and visual state-of-the-art technology was designed and installed by Premier Studios.  The EBCO Construction Group made sure that all the designs and drawings and engineering details were put in the proper places.  This attention to detail built a building that has been called an “instrument.”

The Bell Center is comprised not only of a beautiful, 540 seat Mabee Performing Arts Hall, but several other spaces to fulfill its purpose:

1.  Gilmore Hospitality Room – a comfortable lounge and small meeting area just inside the front doors, off to the east side of the lobby

2.  Jones Instrumental Hall – band room and classroom

3.  Eby Music Theory Room – classroom

4.  Smith Piano Lab – holds 12 Yamaha Clavinova electronic pianos plus a teaching piano

5.  McIntire Recital Hall – choral music room and recital venue

6.  Snowbarger Fine Arts Room – classroom

7.  Sunderland Theatre – black box teaching theatre

8.  Clegg Office Complex – location for 9 faculty and adjunct faculty studio offices, the management office, the box office, and a receptionist area

9.  Halvorson Practice Complex – location of 12 practice rooms, each with a piano

10.  Computer Lab – Apple computers with ProTools and Finale software for recording, composing, and editing music

11.  Music Library – storage for more than 1,000 pieces of choral and instrumental music

12.  Dressing Rooms – two large spaces and an additional smaller space

13.  Makeup Area – brightly lit mirrors and plenty of counter space

14.  Green Room – with comfortable chairs and couches

15.  Scene Shop – for building sets

16.  Grand Lobby – the beautiful entrance and gathering place, often used for dinners and receptions

Each room and area has been built to serve specific purposes…and designed to fulfill those purposes.

We are fortunate to have other very special details which help “dress” the house:

In the Grand Lobby is a commissioned painting, “To His Praise,” done by Ann Williams.  This piece complements the four verses of the Charles Wesley hymn, “O for a Thousand Tongues To Sing” that circle the entire lobby.

There is a new 9’ Steinway grand piano and a new 9’2” Bosendorfer grand piano available for students as well as guest users of the facility.

The piano faculty offices are each equipped with 2 new 6’11” Steinway grand pianos and 2 new 7’4” Grotrian grand pianos.

The Gilmore Hospitality Room is home to a 1900 Packard Organ donated by Don and Faith Bell and family in memory of their daughter and sister, Judie Faith Bell Hooven.  It is also home of a 1877 Roisch grand piano, donated by Murdell Weatherby Holbert in memory of her mother, Ivy Weatherby.

The Bell Center is a busy complex, hosting some 150 to 200 special events throughout the year, not including regular classes and University events.  It serves not only the University community, but the Olathe, Kansas and Johnson County, Kansas communities as well.

The dream has come true; the goal met.  Now there is a new dream and new goals – to fill the public spaces, the classrooms, the practice rooms, and the performing arts hall with music and drama, and people enjoying the creative presentations of the performing arts and cultural events.

And the beat goes on!