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Clear Lake Arts Center Plans for New Home
After three years of cramped “temporary” housing in Clear Lake’s downtown business district, the Clear Lake Arts Center has found a new, permanent home in a former bank building.
With growing numbers of people attending youth and adult arts classes, the Arts Center wanted a space big enough to accommodate its program schedule, and even expand it.
“Results of a recently-conducted feasibility study demonstrated that others understood how space limitations were hampering the growth of our programs,” said CLAC Board President Kristin Charlson.
The new home was most recently a US Bank, but stood empty for several years. Renovations are under way and the CLAC’s long-term plans call for small group musical and theatrical activity space, expanded arts education offerings, three studio classrooms and a media lab.
A major grant from the John K. and Luise V. Hanson Foundation in 2004 set the wheels in motion toward a fundraising campaign for a facility that supports CLAC’s goals. CLAC also received a $13,000 Iowa Community Cultural Grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to help with this project.
“The ICCG grant will help pay salaries for design services, as well as some initial construction expenses,” said Betty Winga, executive director. “The grant money also supports an expansion of staff to accommodate increased administrative demand of this endeavor. Additional components of the campaign are an endowment and a second addition to accommodate the performing arts and a changing exhibit gallery. We recognized a need for building designs and floor plans before we could market our concept to potential donors. We are very appreciative of receiving the ICCG grant so that these designs could be completed for our fundraising campaign.”
CLAC plans to move into the new facility, located at 17 South 4th Street, in the spring of 2006.
For more information, visit www.clearlakeartscenter.org.
