Monday, September 25, 2006

ST. LOUIS, MO - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today toured the Foundry Arts Center in St. Charles. Bond visited the Foundry’s Interactive Arts and Technology Education Center and received an update on the new facility.

“The Interactive Arts and Technology Education Center provides a number of benefits to the community, from classroom and gallery experience for students to interactive technology to arts and performance space,” said Bond.

“The new center will help the Foundry realize its vision of becoming an exciting and dynamic educational, visual and performing arts center for the community as well as a significant tourist attraction for creative people and friends of the arts.”

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Transportation-Treasury-Housing Appropriations subcommittee, Bond secured $780,000 in federal funds for the St. Charles Center in fiscal year 2005 Labor/HHS spending bill.

The federal dollars Bond secured were used to create the Interactive Arts and Technology Education Center (IATEC) at the Foundry. The IATEC now provides a student’s experience gallery and classroom, an interactive arts-television facility, performance space, and technology infrastructure to present short films and video art works.

Bond praised community leaders for their vision for historic St. Charles. Modeled after the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia, community leaders came together to convert a non-functioning railcar factory into a living arts experience for both the citizens of St. Charles and members of the surrounding regional community.

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