On June 10, 2022, The Center for the Arts cut the red ribbon on its newly renovated building, roughly four years after groundbreaking on the impressive multi-million dollar, 21,000 square foot space.
For over two decades, The Center for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, has grown into a leading presenter of music, dance, theater, comedy, literary and visual art, and family programming in downtown Grass Valley. The pandemic delayed the timely reopening, but The Center made up for it on Friday, June 10th with a celebration including speeches from key donors such as Julia Amaral, Michael Funk, and founder Jon Blinder. Each reminisced about their experiences at The Center and how much it meant to them to have a state-of-the-art theater in the community.
“It’s the arts that make a community,” emphasized founder Jon Blinder.
Executive Director Amber Jo Manuel thanked the community for their support throughout the pandemic while building the new Center. Over 1,750 community members donated during 2020-2021 to keep The Center’s doors open. Manuel was incredibly grateful to those members of the Board who assisted with all of the building decisions and negotiations during the past four years.
For the event, jazz musicians played in the lobby while celebratory mimosas were served to members of the community. The Center for the Arts would like to thank Grass Valley mayor Ben Aguilar for cutting the ribbon and attending this special event as well as other members of the Grass Valley Downtown Association and the City of Grass Valley manager Tim Kiser. Manuel says, “We look forward to many more years of being a leading performing arts center in the Sierra Foothills and bringing all kinds of opportunities for people of all ages to watch, learn, and play at The Center.”