You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can’t count how many apples that seed will produce.
Jon Seals, head of the onu art department
At first glance, the Sims Education Center (SEC) is a simple, stout, old, red brick, former elementary school in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. But the SEC is not just a building: it is a facility filled to the brim with new opportunities for Olivet Nazarene University’s (ONU) students, faculty, the school as a whole, and even the surrounding Bradley-Bourbonnais community.
Upon deeper inspection, though, it is a breeding ground for creativity, a display space for projects students have put tireless hours into constructing, and a place for creatives to have a sense of identity and belonging. This is far beyond what the Sims Family could have ever imagined possible when they decided to give back to the Olivet community with a donation that fueled the creation of a new world of opportunities for aspiring artists: Sims Education Center. This is only the beginning of the fruit from the seed that they planted.
In the words of Professor Jon Seals, Head of the Art Department and Victorian House Gallery Director, “place and space is really important to build a sense of that identity” and he is thrilled to be able to have a place to build a legacy.”
Keith Sims lived only a few blocks away from Olivet until he moved in second grade, but it wasn’t until he started attending College Church with his brother that he took notice of Olivet. It was there that he met Roy Quanstrom, who eventually was able to connect the Sims with the opportunity to fund the future of Olivet’s art program.
While Keith and Judy never had a personal connection to art, it didn’t take them much convincing to give back to the Olivet community. Both of their daughters graduated from Olivet and with this they saw many opportunities within Olivet to impact future generations.
When Robert Frost Elementary was first put up for auction, the City of Bourbonnais stressed its desire for Olivet to purchase Robert Frost as it was such an impactful building to so many people. They didn’t want its original skeleton to be altered, but to remain a community centerpiece. They knew that in Olivet’s possession it would be in good hands.
Yet one thing stood in the way: Olivet lacked adequate funding it needed to go through with the purchase. In stepped Keith and Judy Sims, along with other willing helpers that became what God used as conduits for his work. Department Head Jon Seals has already started seeing the impact of the Sims’ generosity.
“There’s just massive amounts of people, massive amounts of money and that tells me God is using it, has used it, will continue to use it,” said Seals.
Good art will always inspire.
Jon Seals, head of the onu art department
Fruit from a successful “propagation”
Since its purchase, Olivet has repurposed Robert Frost Elementary and given it even more value than it once had, while retaining its sentimental value to its community. When the Sims donated and the “uprooting and replanting” of the art department first began, the building was a blank canvas of space. Now it is brimming with creative energy, growing significantly from the department’s propagation with no telling how much more fruit will come from this expansion.
Off the Beaten Path
The SEC is located across the street from ONU in a little nook surrounded by a humble neighborhood. This off-the-beaten-path location is perfect for an art department experimenting and expressing creativeness.
