Lied Center to dedicate Lied Commons expansion Oct. 19

            The Lied Center for Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will dedicate its spacious new Lied Commons addition at 11 a.m. Oct. 19. This expansion project was entirely funded by privately donations and made possible with a $2.5 million gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation from Christina M. Hixson of Las Vegas and the Lied Foundation Trust. This new event space provides the public with a new venue for receptions, dinners, meetings, small concerts and special events.

            Event speakers will include UNL senior vice chancellor Ellen Weissinger, Terry Fairfield of the NU Foundation and William Stephan, Lied Center executive director. The public is welcome to attend this free event including live music and complimentary refreshments.

            The addition, designed by BVH Architects of Lincoln, is on the north side of the Lied Center and is the first expansion ever to the 23-year-old venue. With a separate northeast entrance, the addition provides event space for cultural programs, education events, smaller performances and private receptions, even while events are held in the Lied Center's main house.

            Stephan said the new addition is especially needed because the Lied Center has continued to increase its activities and services over the years.

            "We're grateful to Ms. Hixson's gift and the resulting expansion opportunity," he said. "The new space enables us to better serve Nebraskans via the university and our many rental clients, as well as providing a perfect space for smaller performing arts events. The beauty and elegance of this new space will likely make it one of the most popular event spaces for receptions, dinners and special events in Lincoln."

            The Lied Commons venue features a 2,800-square-foot multi-purpose room that can hold up to 200 patrons theater style and 140 guests at tables. The new space features high ceilings with a panoramic view of the UNL campus. It is accented with travertine marble and cherry wood. In addition to the large multi-purpose room, the venue has a 20-seat board room, a catering kitchen and restrooms. It is connected to both the Lied Center and Kimball Hall. Outside catering is allowed in the space.

            For information on reserving the Lied Commons contact Steve Pearson at 402-472-4715 or by email. Visit www.liedcenter.org for more information about all the spaces at the Lied Center and coming events.

            The Lied Center for Performing Arts is a state-of-the-art performing arts facility. Opened in 1990, it is Nebraska's "Home for the Arts." The facility offers major regional, national and international events designed to attract, entertain and inspire a statewide audience. The Lied Center's 23rd season is supported by Friends of Lied, Ameritas and Union Bank. All events in the Lied Center are made possible entirely or in part by the Lied Performance Fund, which has been established in memory of Ernst F. Lied and his parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied. The Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency, has supported the programs of this organization through its matching grants program funded by the Nebraska Legislature; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

            The University of Nebraska Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that has connected the dreams and passions of donors to the mission of the university for the past 75 years. In 2010, donors designated more than $136 million in gifts to scholarships, academic programs, medical research and other priorities at the university. The foundation’s current $1.2 billion fundraising initiative, the Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities, concludes in 2014. For more information, visit nufoundation.org.

Writer: Maureen Ose