The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
Design students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point have been working with the board of directors for The Fox on Main to help revamp the venue, formerly called Fox Theater.
The Fox on Main was a movie theater and had been open for almost a century before closing in 1985. After rumors about a potential reopening, action is now being taken to renovate the venue. Fix the Fox is the series of events to support renovations.
“Our goal is to design and open a multi-use performance and event space that contributes to the efforts to make downtown Stevens Point a thriving city center,” said Greg Wright, the president of The Fox on Main.
“Fix the Fox” campaign logo.
Specific details have yet to be released about the type of events and performances to feature at The Fox on Main. The board of directors is currently working to bring in an interior architecture student and student musicians to move efforts forward.
“We are not trying to be elusive with our business plan,” Wright said. “We are just taking the time to research industry trends and the local market to ensure that we create a responsible and sustainable plan. We have been sharing what we have learned as we learn it, both through news articles and outreach to local business and service groups. We are eager to have the website to add another layer to that communication.”
Given its large undertaking, the board of directors for The Fox on Main decided to enlist Associate Professor Jillian Noble’s Graphic Design Processes class for help.
“The class has taken on the project of helping The Fox on Main create marketing and promotional materials including a new logo, website, posters, mailers, t-shirts, calendars, social media and various other print and digital pieces for the committee to use to promote and campaign to raise funds to reopen The Fox on Main,” Noble said. “My unofficial role has been project manager, as there are 13 students and six committee members working together to make all this happen.”
Lanea Zagrzebski was nominated by her classmates to act as the lead on the project.
“We worked in a group to establish the needs of The Fox on Main, such as a logo, brand standards and a working website,” Zagrzebski said. “They also needed simple graphics for Facebook, as well as Instagram and Twitter accounts.”
The Fox on Main. Photo by Emily Hoffmann.
Zagrzebski is enthusiastic about the project and said she has never had an opportunity like this before.
“Not only did we get to work in a professional environment, but we got to establish our places and roles in the design world,” Zagrzebski said.
“The UWSP graphic design class has been an incredible asset for us,” Wright said. “They have created a brand identity for us that includes a variety of components from the website and other social media to a logo with business cards and letterhead. These students are well-prepared and exceptionally professional, and we are positioned well to communicate both our efforts to reopen the Fox and our programming once we are open because of the work they have done.”
The Fox on Main has begun to host concert events to help raise donations for the project. The next event of “Fix the Fox” will be hosted at Renee’s Red Rooster on Dec. 7 from 3 to 7 p.m. The event is free, but donations to The Fox on Main are encouraged.
Anna Welton
Reporter
awelt600@uwsp.edu
