The Athens State University Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to name the Alabama Center for the Arts’ Performing Arts building the Arthur Orr Performing Arts Center, honoring the longtime state senator’s role in shaping arts education and economic development in North Alabama.
The naming follows approval from the Alabama Community College System.
Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), who has represented Senate District 3 since 2006, has been instrumental in the formation, growth and expansion of the Alabama Center for the Arts, a joint initiative serving Athens State University and Calhoun Community College.
University leaders credit Orr with helping establish the center as a cornerstone of downtown Decatur’s redevelopment while consistently advocating for state funding to support its programs and facilities.
“Naming the Alabama Center for the Arts after Senator Arthur Orr is a fitting tribute to a leader whose continuous support for the arts, education, the Alabama Center for the Arts, and Athens State University has helped shape a vibrant future for creative expression in our state,” said Athens State University President Dr. Catherine Wehlburg. “Senator Orr understands the vital role the arts play in education, workforce development, and community engagement, and we are proud to honor his legacy of support.”
Located on the ACA campus in downtown Decatur, the Arthur Orr Performing Arts Center serves as both an educational hub and a public performance venue.
The state-of-the-art facility includes a recording technology computer lab, a recital hall, a studio theatre, a piano lab equipped with Yamaha Clavinova digital pianos and a scene shop for set construction, among other specialized spaces designed to support instruction and live performance.
Orr currently serves as chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee and represents Morgan, Madison and Limestone counties.
His legislative work has frequently focused on education funding and workforce development, priorities that university officials say align closely with the mission of the Alabama Center for the Arts.
Athens State University, founded in 1822, is Alabama’s oldest institution of higher learning and one of only a few “upper-division” universities in the nation.
The university primarily serves transfer students and adult learners seeking to complete their degrees, offering more than 50 undergraduate degree programs along with graduate options.
University leaders said the newly named Arthur Orr Performing Arts Center will continue to play a key role in advancing arts education, supporting the regional workforce and providing cultural opportunities for the community, reflecting the vision and commitment Orr brought to its creation.
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