A terrible way to spend millions of dollars...

On Friday night my mom and I went to see the National Acrobats of China at the Collins Center for the Arts at UMaine. I hadn't been inside the facility since it's make-over and I was excited to see the changes.

I was quickly unimpressed.

A friend had told me that if they had given millions to the university for the center and their names were on the building they would be embarrassed. After seeing it I have to agree with her.

What was once a cozy, welcoming lobby with warm reds, browns, and a eclectic golden hanging chandelier is now gray walls. Literally. Where there was once art and sculptures on the main floor leading you up to the second and third levels of the Hudson Museum there is nothing. Where there used to be the Hudson Museum Shop with all sorts of interesting stuff to buy is now a cold and strange cafeteria.

What gives!?

If I had been a first time visitor I would have never know the treasures that lay above my head in the museum! People need to be titillated to explore and there is nothing titillating about the new building. In fact, it feels more like a hospital than an arts center. And who loves to go to the hospital? No one!

The Hutchins Concert Hall is no better! What happened to the idea of putting in some AISLES so you didn't have to excuse yourself past 54 people to reach your seat in the middle of the theater? And why are the same sad looking red chairs still there? They are worse for wear -- some of them are actually chipped. And if you are going to paint the entire place gray, why keep the red chairs and the balcony section red? It looks unfinished...like they ran out of money.

And I don't know if it was the music the Chinese acrobats used or what but the acoustics were lousy. It's like the architects paid attention to all the wrong things in the re-design. It's horrible!

Even the people who work at the Collins Center don't like it. I won't name names but you can take my word for it.