Media are invited to tour the nearly completed Performing Arts Center in Mueller, which has been funded through the district's 2008 bond program. The facility will open in January.

Who: Greg Goodman, director of AISD's fine arts department, and Paul Turner, executive director of facilities, will lead the tour of the Performing Arts Center.

When: 11 a.m.-noon Thursday, Dec.18

Where: The Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.

Background: AISD broke ground on the construction of a new district-wide Performing Arts Center in the Mueller development Aug. 6, 2013. The PAC, located along Mueller Boulevard between 51st Street and Barbara Jordan Boulevard, will host AISD band, orchestra, theater, dance, visual arts performances and other student-focused events.

Austin voters approved the construction of the AISD Performing Arts Center as part of the $343.7 million 2008 Bond Program.

The PAC will support AISD's goal to expand access to the arts for all students. Each year, thousands of students participate in AISD's award-winning fine arts programs, including art, dance, music and theatre. Working with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, AISD has helped launch Any Given Child, a community-wide partnership with the City of Austin, Mindpop and more than 40 community arts organizations to provide arts-rich classrooms and educational opportunities to every child in AISD.

The center was designed by Pfluger Architects, with Miro Rivera Architects. The PAC includes a 1,200-seat auditorium, a 250-seat black box theater, a 150-seat multipurpose room and a dance rehearsal space. 

This facility is projected to have a high energy efficiency rating through the Austin Energy Green Building Program and LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

For facility site plans, visit http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/519410/final-design-of-aisd-performing-arts-center-nov.pdf

2008: The Austin community approved the PAC as part of the 2008 bond program.

2009: In November 2009, AISD's Board of Trustees approved Pfluger Associates Architects as the prime design firm and American Constructors, Inc. to provide construction management at-risk services for the project.

2011: In April 2011, AISD approved the PAC's site location in the Mueller development along Mueller Boulevard between 51st Street and Barbara Jordan Boulevard.

The PAC is an effort to deliver excellent fine arts facilities for all AISD students at an affordable price point. By creating a single, high quality fine arts education and performance facility for AISD, the district is making the most of its resources by serving a number of schools and fostering community-building and shared learning.

For more information, please contact the Department of Communications and Community Engagement at 414-2414.