AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The Friends of AJ Swope nonprofit organization recently released information regarding one of its community enhancement projects in Amarillo that is now under construction.

According to a news release from the nonprofit, Friends of AJ Swope has partnered with the Crouch Foundation to build the AJ Swope Performance Plaza within the renovated Arts in the Sunset Complex. The plaza will be located on the north side of the complex.

Completion of the performance venue is expected to be complete in early 2023 and the nonprofit is scheduled to host a public unveiling party of the venue in April, the release said.

“We are going to embrace what this venue was created for and invite the public out to enjoy live music throughout the day and into the evening, which is the perfect tribute to AJ,” Craig Vaughn, a member of the Friends of AJ Swope nonprofit, said in the release.

According to the release, the plaza will include a stage with an attached green room, dressing rooms, restrooms, a built-in bar along with an area for tables, chairs and a dance floor.

“We wanted to create a place where music can be nurtured, created, and enjoyed by people of all ages,” Vaughn said in the release. “Not only will the Performance Plaza offer residents a unique concert and event venue, but we are also working with Arts in the Sunset to engage area students with an annual Battle of the Bands contest. We will announce more details about that soon along with an outstanding lineup for the April unveiling of AJ Swope Performance Plaza.”

Officials with the Amarillo Art Institute who are overseeing the Arts in the Sunset renovation, are excited for the addition of this plaza to the Arts in the Sunset Complex.

“We are fulfilling the wishes of the late Ann Crouch to create a centralized place where the creative arts flourish in the Panhandle,” Amarillo Art Institute Executive Director Rachel Flores said in the release. “We are thrilled to be able to expand our reach into the musical realm with the addition of AJ Swope Performance Plaza.”