The Salina Art Center is launching a million dollar capital campaign to raise funds to update facilities and technology.

According to the organization, in September 2021, the Art Center Board heard a presentation from their executive director outlining years of deferred maintenance and future opportunities that could be addressed through a capital campaign. A unanimous vote later, and the Building Creatively campaign was born.

“For 44 years the Salina Art Center has been the place where we go to make art and see art that are expressions of our lives and imagination,” said Sydney Soderberg, Salina Art Center Board President. She is ready to make sure future generations access the same experiences.

Soderberg says, “The time has come for us to secure our future with updated facilities and technology. The “Building Creatively” campaign will provide the resources to provide new opportunities that keep us moving forward.”

Embarking on the first major renovation in more than 20 years, Salina Art Center is raising $1million to invest in building the future workforce and enhancing the quality of life for everyone through art. Building Creativelyaddresses external and internal renovations and infrastructure improvements to improve accessibility, visibility, and engagement while expanding exhibition and public gathering spaces and elevating member and visitor experiences through technology and environmental amenities.

They are already over 50% toward their goal.

“We are always more than happy to offer support to the Art Center, especially considering how very much it has improved the quality of life here in Salina,” Patricia Traxler, long-time Art Center member.

“The support we have received through the first half of this campaign has been phenomenal. Salina is a generous community, and the Art Center has been an important part of people’s lives for over 40 years. I hear amazing stories. We are serving our third generation; we see toddlers picking up their first paintbrushes. We are proud of our “Art Center kids,” who have grown into essential leaders building the future. We have even been honored to be a place of celebration as we remember those who are no longer with us. The Art Center has been through it all with our community. I’m continually humbled to share this experience with so many people,” Misty Serene, Executive Director.

The Art Center is the community’s window to the world, using art and film to challenge everyone to see the world outside with open minds and hearts. “Art has and will continue to be at the center of what we feel, what we learn, and how we build,” Brigid Hall, Art Center Board Member.

Art @the Center: Building Creatively Capital Campaign positions the Art Center to lead exceptional experiences around viewing, discussing, and making art for the generations ahead.

The Art Center is Building Creatively by:

• Building facilities responsive to tomorrow –
• Redesigned Santa Fe façade
• Controlled climate throughout the exhibition galleries
• New Cinema seating
• Creative modular classroom configurations in the Warehouse
• Building quality of life –
• Improved accessibility in our three facilities for all our visitors and students
• Provide community gathering spaces for conversations and sharing ideas, featuring a remodeled back patio and interior spaces.
• Added programming opportunities
• Culinary Arts Kitchen
• Expanded Ceramics Studio
• Enhanced Cinema and programming experiences that help us understand the world we share
• Building innovation through investing in technology –
• Widened access to programming, artists, lecturers, and growing digital art opportunities
• Added live streaming capacity in the Cinema and upgraded equipment for state-of-the-art projection and sound

The campaign is led by a steering committee including Brigid Hall, Martha Rhea, Sydney Soderberg, and Eryn Wright. Salina Art Center is in beautiful downtown Salina which recently underwent a $160 million renovation. The revitalization was the largest public / private partnership in Salina history and a testament to the support and engagement offered to cultural organizations and local businesses. The Art Center is a vital cornerstone in Salina’s cultural ecosystem.

The Art Center welcomes over 20,000 visitors annually in three separate facilities:

• Galleries, 242 S. Santa Fe – 6,000 square feet of museum galleries and administrative offices
• Art Center Cinema, 150 S. Santa Fe – Movie theater for first-run independent, documentary, and international films
• Warehouse Education Studio, 149 S. 4th St. – 4,500 square feet education facility serving thousands of students each year
• Living and working space for artists-in-residence

The Salina Art Center, Inc. is a nonprofit contemporary art and education center incorporated in 1978 in Salina, Kansas, and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1991. The Art Center’s mission is “to create exchanges among art, artists, and audiences that reveal life.” The Art Center carries out its mission through visiting artists, education, exhibition, film and video, and outreach programs designed to provide constituents with opportunities for meaningful experiences through active encounters with viewing and making visual art.

Every gift matters and every voice is essential to the Building Creatively campaign. Contributions to Salina Art Center, Inc. are 100% tax-deductible. To learn more about Building Creatively, or to donate, visit www.buildingcreatively.org.

To discuss any questions about the campaign, giving, or naming opportunities, please contact Misty Serene, Salina Art Center Executive Director at 785-827-1431.

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Architectural design by Jones Gillam Renz Architects and renderings by Munson Studios.