The Robert H. and Blythe Bickel Edwards Center for Art and Dance

The Edwards Art Center houses modern art studios, classrooms, critique space, and student exhibitions in visual arts and dance.

Photo album: The Edwards Center for the Arts

Specialized Studio Space

From the state-of-the-art digital media lab to the comprehensive printmaking workshop, the Edwards Art Center houses a variety of specialized studio spaces that are available to students with 24-hour key card access.

Robert H. Edwards & Blythe Bickel Edwards

Robert H. Edwards was inaugurated as Bowdoin's 13th president in 1990. Through their efforts to improve the College's arts facilities, he and his wife, Blythe Bickel Edwards, have been credited with a renaissance of the arts that continues today.

Among the many construction and renovation projects completed during the Edwards administration (1990-2001) were the renovation of Pickard Theater and Memorial Hall; the construction of Wish Theater; the restoration of the Chapel interior; and the construction of the David Saul Smith Union - all facilities that provide vibrant venues for the arts at Bowdoin.

robert_blythe_edwards — *Courtesy of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives*

The 2013 opening of the Robert H. and Blythe Bickel Edwards Center for Art and Dance recognized not only the couple’s commitment to improving academic and artistic facilities but also continued their tradition of physically and mentally building up the College.

Conserving and Reusing the Longfellow School

Located at the site of the former Longfellow Elementary School, Bowdoin's adaptive reuse of the building conserves and retains period features of the original 1920s structure by restoring the original height of the ceilings, preserving the red-brick facade, and reclaiming and refurbishing floors and windows.

The Edwards Art Center opened its doors in August 2013, and is home to Bowdoin's Department of Visual Arts. The single location of the department enables faculty and students engaged in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking, woodworking, and digital media to work together under the same roof, creating a cohesive arts community and numerous opportunities for artistic synergy.