Enlarge image Photo by Whit Preston, courtesy of Frank O. Gehry & Associates.      PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT BARD COLLEGE Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 1997– Housing a performance theater and small teaching theater on the Hudson Valley campus of Bard College, the Performing Arts Center references the continuum of Gehry's previous work. The design employs the undulating forms and reflective surfaces typical of the architect's recent large-scale projects. A dramatic canopy, formed of a layer of brushed stainless steel, shelters the entrance to the main theater, while soft billows of steel wrap around the exterior of the entryway. The smaller theater is also roofed in curved brushed steel. Despite these artistic flourishes, which visually mark the building as a cultural hub for the campus, the structure is appropriately humble in other aspects of its design. Covering the building in plaster and concrete, Gehry revisited his early emphasis on simple materials and his ongoing interest in obtaining an unfinished aesthetic is captured in the exposed support system of the spectacular canopy, which is visible from inside the lobby and beneath the canopy itself. The center's simple construction and intimate size create a sensibility that is entirely fitting to the campus and its rural setting.