Public and university officials broke ground on the Confluence Arts Center Thursday to start the construction process on the corner of Graham and Gibson street in downtown Eau Claire.

At 5:30 p.m., next to Haymarket Landing, community members, construction workers, students, staff and faculty members came together to take the first step in making the vision of a new arts center in downtown Eau Claire a reality.

Chancellor James C. Schmidt spoke during the ceremony. He elaborated on how the Confluence Arts Center represents an exciting time for the community.

“For me, it has been a great day because I have all of my colleagues from the UW System from across the state, and it is our time to put a big spotlight on the great work of our faculty, staff and students,” Schmidt said. “And what a great way to cap off a couple days of meetings talking about the importance of the UW System, in particular, the role that UW-Eau Claire plays in that.”

The Confluence Arts Center is projected to be finished by 2018.