Kristi Buice (’05), an art history and accounting major at the University of Georgia, was recently selected to speak for the student body at the Sept. 4 dedication ceremony for the college’s new Lamar Dodd School of Art Building.
“Kristi was selected because she is one of the outstanding seniors at the School of Art,” said Asen Kirin, associate professor of art. “Because of her two majors at two different schools, she was able to speak for all art students, but also for the rest of the undergraduates at the University of Georgia.”
The dedication was a tribute to the life and career of Lamar Dodd, the Georgia native who was head of the UGA art department from 1938 until 1973, and chairman of the division of fine arts from 1960 until his retirement in 1976. Acknowledged as one of the strongest influences on art in the South in the 20th century, Dodd was also a prolific artist who produced hundreds of works over more than 60 years. The art school was named for Dodd in 1996, shortly before his death.
“[The new facility] truly allows for us to appreciate the art that we have been studying and creating. It is a symbol of the importance and the progress in the University of Georgia community that the Lamar Dodd School of Art has made, and a clear indication of the success and opportunities it will continue to provide to the students in the coming years,” Buice said in her remarks. “It is a monument to the past achievements of the art students at the University of Georgia and a charge to current and future art students to live up to this legacy. With this blank canvas we have been given an opportunity to shape, design and to fill the space with our own excellence. We will continue to excel artistically and academically and to continue to push the boundaries in our endeavors with much thanks to the support of the faculty, staff, alumni and donors who made this building a possibility.”
The program also included remarks by UGA President Michael Adams; Georgia Strange, director of the Dodd School; and C.L. Morehead, an Athens businessman who was a close friend of the school’s namesake, Lamar Dodd.
The Lamar Dodd School, one of the nation’s largest university art programs with more than 1,000 majors, long ago outgrew the visual arts building where it had been located since the 1960s. Construction on the new $40 million facility began in 2006, and faculty began moving in this summer. The three-story, 172,000-square-foot building features many large windows and expansive interior spaces that maximize natural light. A two-story lobby atrium, with a media center mezzanine, is bisected by a central staircase that provides access to classrooms and studios specifically designed for 10 areas of concentration. The building also includes two lecture auditoriums, faculty offices and studios, and a spacious courtyard.
Buice is the daughter of Fran and Rick Buice of Rome.
Kristi Buice ('05)
UGA President Michael Adams addresses the crowd during the dedication ceremony.
