New Grace Performing Arts Center facility to include much needed space to grow
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Sunday, Grace Baptist Church and Grace Christian Academy broke ground on an exciting new state of the art facility addition for the Grace Performing Arts Center (GPAC). 6 News went to the event to check out the vision for the new space and what it could mean for students.The GPAC currently provides instruction in music, dance, and visual arts.
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'The Bible talks about the arts so much about using wires and strings in our voices to praise the Lord. And so being able to do that and really allow the students to use what God's given them for him cause not everyone is gifted in academics or athletics but being able to use these gifts for his glory. It's going to be so exciting!' said Heather Lievsay the GPAC Director.
The new performing arts building project has been four years in the making. It is fully funded, costing around 5.5 million dollars.
The facility will have a 250-seat recital hall and various practice rooms, space that desperately needed as the program continues to grow. Over 200 students are expected this fall. GPAC was recently honored as the Best Music School and Best Dance Studio by the Knox Stars Community Choice Awards.
'We need more practice room, more space, more recital time. We have these practice lessons occurring all over the campus. Everywhere we found a room, we put a kid in it to take a musical lesson. So, we really needed a dedicated area to be able to handle the volume of children and even adults who want to learn different things dance, music, singing,' explained Barry Silver, the Pastor of Executive Operations and Finance with Grace Baptist Church.
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Previously the program has operated out of random spaces across campus. The new space will provide more opportunities for children and parents to utilize their talents and reach more members of the community.
'It's going to give us a great opportunity to reach the community even more with extra space, to be able to really allow people to hone in their skills,' explained Lievsay.
She went on to talk about the growth the program has seen 'One thing that's been really cool the last couple years, just to see this go from mostly younger kids who want to take to watching parents and grandparents get involved. And so, they're not just at the performances, they're taking lessons and they're taking classes.'
Silver also shared that the new facility will be used by various programs within the academy and church, with hopes for it to become the most utilized building on campus.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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New Grace Performing Arts Center facility to include much needed space to grow
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Sunday, Grace Baptist Church and Grace Christian Academy broke ground on an exciting new state of the art facility addition for the Grace Performing Arts Center (GPAC). 6 News went to the event to check out the vision for the new space and what it could mean for GPAC currently provides instruction in music, dance, and visual arts. Crews respond to drowning on Douglas Lake in Jefferson County 'The Bible talks about the arts so much about using wires and strings in our voices to praise the Lord. And so being able to do that and really allow the students to use what God's given them for him cause not everyone is gifted in academics or athletics but being able to use these gifts for his glory. It's going to be so exciting!' said Heather Lievsay the GPAC Director. The new performing arts building project has been four years in the making. It is fully funded, costing around 5.5 million dollars. The facility will have a 250-seat recital hall and various practice rooms, space that desperately needed as the program continues to grow. Over 200 students are expected this fall. GPAC was recently honored as the Best Music School and Best Dance Studio by the Knox Stars Community Choice Awards. 'We need more practice room, more space, more recital time. We have these practice lessons occurring all over the campus. Everywhere we found a room, we put a kid in it to take a musical lesson. So, we really needed a dedicated area to be able to handle the volume of children and even adults who want to learn different things dance, music, singing,' explained Barry Silver, the Pastor of Executive Operations and Finance with Grace Baptist Church. Five charged after $500,000 worth of pure fentanyl seized in Knox County drug bust Previously the program has operated out of random spaces across campus. The new space will provide more opportunities for children and parents to utilize their talents and reach more members of the community. 'It's going to give us a great opportunity to reach the community even more with extra space, to be able to really allow people to hone in their skills,' explained Lievsay. She went on to talk about the growth the program has seen 'One thing that's been really cool the last couple years, just to see this go from mostly younger kids who want to take to watching parents and grandparents get involved. And so, they're not just at the performances, they're taking lessons and they're taking classes.' Silver also shared that the new facility will be used by various programs within the academy and church, with hopes for it to become the most utilized building on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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