A collage of old black and white photos from the College's history: left is an old theatre production in renaissance costumes, top middle is a student drawing on a large canvas, bottom middle is a woman installing a plaque next to a painting in an art gallery, right is a woman playing the flute in a practice room with an ensemble.

50 Years of Creativity College of Fine Arts 50th Anniversary 1976-2026

College Timeline 50 People of CFA

CFA Through the Years

A black and white negative scan. The concert band comprised of brass and woodwind musicians plays in Memorial Hall. An energetic conductor can be seen in the distance. The women are in sparkly gowns and the men in suits. — 1977 Concert Band

A negative scan of the concert band performing in Memorial Hall.

Black and white photo of 9 trombonists practicing together. Either of them site on top of a long counter across the back wall. A nineth, in the middle of your group, sits in a chair in front of them. A few empty trombone cases are scattered on the ground. — 1986 School of Music

Black and white photo of three students standing together looking over an art piece held up by the man in the middle. The wall behind them is covered in sheets of sketches, mixed media word collages, photo prints, and more. — 1987 School of Art and Visual Studies

A color film scan. A chunky old computer with a tiny CRT screen sits on the near end of a long table. Four synthesizer keyboards are set up on the rest of the table, each with a student wearing wired headphones diligently practicing. A spaghetti of wires passes between them. An instructor stands in the background also wearing headphones and speaking to someone off camera. — 1990 Digital Keyboards Class

A black and white negative scan. A wide open white space with worn wooden floors has some art displayed in places on the walls and a few different gatherings of people. Some are students relaxing socially, others in deep contemplation of the art, and more others discussing future installations. — 1993 Old Reynolds Building

Previously the home of the Department and then School of Art, Reynold's Building served as the campus artistic space until the current SAVS building was renovated on Bolivar Street.

Color photo of the marching band while they perform in Commonwealth Stadium (now Kroger Field). A perfectly lined up section of trombonists of different heights with a section of Euphoniums right ot the right behind. The 2003 band uniform is a white brimmed hat, black and blue tailcoat with silver braided trim, a white waistcoat, black pants with blue side stripes, and white shoes. — 2003 Wildcat Marching Band

A softly lit stage with an ornate vintage light fixture hanging at the top of the frame. Hugh Laurie stands front and center by a decorated mic stand. Arranged behind him is a well dressed band made up of a backup singer, a bassist, and a drummer in view. Additional instruments and equipment to the right and left suggests additional musicians. — 2012 Hugh Laurie in Concert at the Singletary Center for the Arts

A collage of images related to the 2012 production of Les Liaisons Dangerueses. Left is the promotional poster in a graphis style of a dark corset tied with a bow that includes a skull. In the middle and right are sketches by former costume shop head Nelson Fields of costume designs for two important characters in the play, including pinned on fabric swatches to show final colors and textures. — 2012 Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Promotional poster along with costume concept sketches and fabric swatches courtesy of former Theatre and Dance costume shop head Nelson Fields.

A spacious dance studio. Ballet bars are spaced extra wide in a single line through the space and dancers in masks practice their forms. A wall of the mirrors behind reflects them and the large windows of the opposite wall. — 2021 First Socially Distanced Dance Classes

A masked graduate student in white button up shirt and black pants stands in front of very colorful painted wall scrolls with abstract floral designs hung from the ceiling in a stark industrial space. They gesture in explanation to an interviewer standing to the left. A person manning a camera can be seen to the right in the foreground. — 2021 MFA Student Show in the School of Art and Visual Studies Building

What has 50 years of CFA meant to you?

Help us tell our story by filling in the gaps with your story! Share your memories - be they academic, ensemble, production, performance, or other non-major clubs and activities - and we'll feature them throughout the 2026-27 academic year.

Share Your CFA Memories

Then & Now Just like life, campus is always changing but some things do stay the same as time marches on.

Singletary Center for the Arts

Black and white photo of the Center for the Arts under construction. The iconic silhouette of the building is complete but inside can be seen rebar and scaffolding. Several old cars, vans, and trucks are parked outside near piled construction materials. Most of the exterior is dirt with none of the broad walkways or grass lawn that exists today.

Singletary Center in May 2026. Many mature trees now obscure the building's silhouette, and the broad sidewalk is completed in the foreground. A blue sky with wispy white clouds frames the building from above.

Steady Growth

New construction can often seem barren and unwelcoming at the time, and in the immediate years after completion. Life, however, always finds a way. From the same spot at the intersection of Euclid, Rose Street, and Avenue of Champions the Singletary Center almost can't be seen for the trees 47 years later.

Fine Arts Building

Art Imitates Life

This pen & ink drawing was printed on the cover of a program booklet in 1989 (artist credit unfortunately missing with the interior pages).

Finding the exact angle to compare against the current Fine Arts Building was impossible due the the landscaping and more recent construction on the other side of Rose Street. The drawing seems to be an accurate reproduction of the building, though the missing sculptural elements on the face of the building and the "Fine Arts" signage over the door matches better with photographs in the UK archives from the 1930s. The drawing itself may be much older than the surviving print.

A 1989 pen and ink drawing on yellowed cardstock of the Fine Arts Building at the time.

A current photo of the Fine Arts Building from the opposite side of Rose Street. Many more trees have grown up around the building but the doors, walkways, and drumstick-shaped patch of front lawn have remained the same.

Guignol Theatre Lobby

A scan of a black and white newspaper clipping showing the Guignol Lobby in 1952. The checkered tiling on the floor draws a straight line between front and inner doors. The lower walls around the whole lobby are a mixture of painted plaster, wood paneling, and ceramic tiles. A band of dark tiling circles the room where walls meet ceiling, and long strips of bright lights illuminate the space. Students gather and talk in various places around the lobby, possibly waiting for a performance.

The current Guignol Lobby, a little empty as the school year ends. The tiling is now diagonal across the floor with three shades of gray akin to a muted simplified tartan. The lower half of the walls are now a uniform cool gray with a metallic strip highlighting the border with the lighter paint above. The star-studded box office desk remain, as well as some of the burgundy tiling next to the inner doors. The long and narrow lighting strips have been replaced with round pendant fixtures.

Refreshed But Familiar

The Guingol Lobby is the main entrance of the Fine Arts Building, a passage and gathering place for generations of Fine Arts students. Predating the College itself, the newsprint image of the lobby is from 1952, when Fine Arts disciplines were still in the College of Arts & Sciences. The lobby has seen several coats of paint, different light fixtures, refreshed tile, and many different theatre and dance season posters pass through its lightboxes but the impressive space remains the same.

Lucile Caudill Little Fine Arts and Design Library

Repurposed and Renovated

The Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts and Design Library has a bit of history. The structure itself was originally built as the north wing of the Margaret I. King Library (UK's previous central library, still standing across the sidewalk with more specialized collections), and the two buildings were connected by a second floor pedway. When the newer W.T. Young Library was completed and most of King Library's collections moved there, the north wing was renovated and rededicated in 2000 as the Fine Arts Library via a gift from Lucille Caudill Little.

The photo provided for comparison is from the 1970s, around when the College was established. A photo from 1985 in special collections shows the pedway still intact, but not much from the intervening years can be found. It's most likely the renovations in 1999-2001 removed the bridge and changed the faces of both buildings. The remnants of the pedway can still be seen on the exterior of the Fine Arts Library with architectural details on either side of the wide floor to ceiling window above the main entrance that would have once been a set of doors.

The large concrete planters with mature trees were also removed at some point in favor of smaller landscaping and outdoor seating. The planters can still be identified in the margins and backgrounds of some photos in the area in the early 2000s after the pedway was removed and other remodeling completed.

A black and white photo of the Margaret I King North Wing building in 1976. Several students walk in multiple directions on the broad sidewalk. The old pedway to the main King Library building can be seen in the far right background. Large planters along the face of the building contain trees that reach the second story.

A color photo of the Fine Arts and Design Library building in 2026. Some tables with chairs as well as benches can be seen along the face of the building. A woman is reading some documents at one of the tables. Much newer trees are planted in smaller landscaping sections. A large floor to ceiling window can be seen on the second floor over the main entrance where the pedway used to be.

Wildcat Marching Band

On, On, U of K!

The UK Wildcat Marching Band is only a little younger than the university itself. The original band, mostly associated with military programs on campus, was founded somewhere between 1889 to 1893 and became an official marching band by 1903. The Wildcat in Wildcat Marching Band came several decades later with the official introduction of the University mascot. The Athletic Band (encompassing Marching Band, Pep Band, and associated Majorettes & Color Guard) have performed for countless collegiate athletic contests, professional athletics (most notably the 2008 Ryder Cup and multiple occasions for the Cincinnati Bengals), a US president, and in prestigious band competitions.

This historical Marching Band photo of the brass section is dated 1977, one year after the College of Fine Arts was founded and four years after the completion of Commonwealth Stadium (now called Kroger Field) where it was most likely taken. Band uniforms have gone through multiple evolutions over the years and could probably fill out their own timeline, but even if the photo wasn't labeled with a 70s date the velveteen piping and general style would definitely give it away. Today's uniforms lean more on historical styles with military roots but modern streamlining for looks and comfort. Kroger Field, along with other regular sports venues on campus, is still the main stage for UK Athletic Bands and one of many places you can see them perform this fall as the competitive season ramps up again.

A black and white photo of the 1976 Marching Band plays in what is likely to be Commonwealth Stadium. A row of the brass section is lined up playing on the field. The band member in the foreground has dark slacks with white and black piping down the side of the leg, the jacket has white pocket flaps with lots of black piping along the hems and seams, white gloves, and a white fedora to keep the sun off his face.

The Wildcat Marching Bands stands and plays in the bleachers of Kroger Field during a game with Notre Dame. Current uniforms have black pants, a UK blue and black jacket, with an embroidered KENTUCKY sash stitched across the front. Th band member in the foreground plays her silvery Euphonium, with other brass section members in the background playing a verity of instruments.

Support 50 More Years of CFA

In honor of the 50th Anniversary, consider giving a one time gift of $50. Or, give whatever amount inspires you to help the College continue and improve performances as well as opportunities for our students!

Give to CFA

Honorable Mention: Jenna Perkovich

When we first set out to plan the CFA 50th anniversary, we knew we wanted a timeline of the college's history, interesting facts, and a wide range of profiles on people important to the college. We also knew we couldn't compile all of it alone. Enter Jenna Perkovich, an Anthropology and History double major here at UK. Jenna combed through UK's archives, scanned and organized cabinets full of relevant photos and negatives, uncovered interesting facts everyone had forgotten, and conducted dozens of interviews with alumni and emeritus faculty. Both the CFA timeline and our 50 People of CFA would not have been possible without her skilled and dedicated work.

Congratulations, Jenna, on graduating in the class of 2026! It was an absolute pleasure working with you. We wish you the greatest success and good times in your next adventure with the Library & Information Science Masters Program at the University of Illinois.

50 Years of Creativity College of Fine Arts 50th Anniversary 1976-2026

CFA Through the Years

1977 Concert Band

1983 Theatre Newsletter

1986 School of Music

1987 School of Art and Visual Studies

1990 Digital Keyboards Class

1993 Old Reynolds Building

2003 Wildcat Marching Band

2012 Hugh Laurie in Concert at the Singletary Center for the Arts

2012 Les Liaisons Dangereuses

2021 First Socially Distanced Dance Classes

2021 MFA Student Show in the School of Art and Visual Studies Building