Arts Center Enriches, Enhances, and Inspires Louisa County
Musician Stephen Nachmanovitch once said, “Creative work is play.” And in Central Virginia, there is no greater creative playground than the Louisa Arts Center.
Located at the corner of Fredericksburg Avenue and School Street in Louisa, the Louisa Arts Center is housed in what was once the original Louisa High School. Constructed in 1907, the school was expanded in 1910 with the addition of a second floor and a one-story auditorium/theater wing. A 7,000-square-foot annex was added in the 1960s, but the school was vacated in the 1980s. The annex was demolished in 2004, but like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, the school’s demise signaled the beginning of a new era.
“In 2004, then Louisa town mayor Charles Rosson had the vision to purchase the dilapidated old Louisa High School and have it repurposed as the new town offices and as an arts center,” said Joseph Caputi, Executive Director of the Louisa Arts Center. “The Louisa Downtown Development Corporation (LDDC) was formed, the governing board of the Louisa Arts Center, consisting of tireless, dedicated, extremely generous volunteers who played the key leadership roles in accomplishing the task.”
Mission
The Louisa Arts Center provides performance, visual, musical, and cultural arts for the community. The center consists of the Purcell Gallery, the Cooke-Haley Theatre, and arts education programs. Its aim is to broaden involvement and access to the arts, to improve the livelihoods of artists and their opportunity to contribute to community life, and to strengthen diversity, interpretative ability, and interactive creativity of all involved.
“I see our role in the community as, first, an educator,” said Caputi. “Bringing the arts to a rural, farming community is in itself an educational process that occurs while our patrons are being entertained.”
A steward to what he calls “this gem of a facility,” Caputi says the center provides a venue where Virginia-based artists can show and potentially sell their work.
“With each day that passes, we become more focused and determined to achieve our mission to ‘Enrich, Enhance, Inspire’ our audience, artists, and performers, and community,” he said.
An Appreciative Community
The center is very much of a grassroots effort that has grown from the bottom up.
“We have not only built a state-of-the-art facility for performing and visual arts, and arts education, but we have also built a ‘market’ for art in Louisa County, as well,” said Caputi. “Our audience draws on neighboring counties from Staunton to Richmond, Culpeper to Fluvanna.”
The community has responded enthusiastically to having an arts center in its backyard.
“Through word-of-mouth, persistent print advertising, our Web site [www.louisaarts.org], social networking, and the reputations of the high-caliber entertainers we bring to the Arts Center, I am confident that sell-out performances will become the norm, rather than the exception,” said Caputi.
That enthusiasm means increased revenues for the county. As the centerpiece of Louisa’s downtown revitalization and renewal efforts, the center has an influence on the area’s economy.
“We put over $30,000 in pockets of Virginia performers and musicians in 2009, and $6,000 for artists,” said Caputi. “These numbers can only go up. Additionally, restaurants on Main Street benefit on performance days. And, since the Louisa Arts Center has opened its doors, an art gallery has opened on Main Street and a prominent restaurant features the artwork of local artists as well. We’re becoming an ‘arts community.’”
Diverse Programming
Calling it “a microcosm of art,” Caputi says the center provides outlets for all forms of creative expression, keeping its commitment to cultural diversity in the forefront of its programming. This is reflected throughout the center.
The 1,600-square-foot Purcell Gallery provides a space for artists from all regions to display their work in juried shows.
“Artists who show in the Purcell Gallery are talented beyond imagination,” said Caputi. “Their work is tantamount to work I’ve seen in galleries in New York, Boston, and San Francisco, yet we are privileged to have them here in Louisa.”
The 200-seat, 3,500-square-foot Cooke-Haley Theatre boasts the latest technology for live performances and cinema. Back by popular demand, Plunky & Oneness will bring their blend of R&B, funk, smooth jazz, hip-hop, African, and world music to the theater on February 6. This performance is an example of the cultural diversity reflected in all of the center’s programs.
“Arts education and the experience of witnessing performing and visual art are vital for understanding each other and this community we share,” Caputi stated. “We are open to one and all.”
Because he believes all of the center’s programming is significant for audiences to experience, Caputi was hard-pressed to mention any one program. However, he did highlight a few he felt were indicative of the diverse programming the center embraces.
“On March 13, we’ll feature a group called, QuinTango, a string quintet that plays Tango music accompanied by a pair of Tango dancers. Where else can you experience that? In September, we’ll have Robert Jospe and the Inner Rhythm performing Latin, jazz, and Afro-pop, highlighted by unique percussion and vocals. These kinds of diverse and dynamic performances form the core of our season.”
Arts Education
Nourishing budding artists is another part of the center’s mission. To that end, the center has formed a partnership with the Virginia Museum of Arts in Richmond. Together they are in the process of bringing art teachers to Louisa who, along with local artists, will offer classes in such areas as photography, sculpture, fabric art, painting, drawing, and possibly music. Caputi expects to have a full program by the end of 2010.
Staff and Funding
As with most non-profit organizations, the Louisa Arts Center depends on a small staff and a large volunteer base. Two paid staff members and what Caputi calls “a virtual army” of 130 volunteers, board members, and various committees get the job done. “And we always get the job done!” Caputi added.
Funding comes from the support of the community and local agencies. “As a non-profit organization, and what I view as a ‘public service,’ ticket prices cover only a small portion of our overall operating budget. We rely on grant funding, donations from individuals and memberships, the Town and County of Louisa, corporations, and foundations.”
Rental of the Louisa Arts Center is a growing source of income. The center is an ideal venue for corporate meetings, conferences and seminars, weddings and receptions, fund-raising benefits, and professional gatherings of all kind.
“Last year we rented the theater and gallery to the Louisa Rotary Club for a fund-raising auction,” said Caputi. “This year, the Rotary will use the theater again to host the Barter Theater on February 12. Also, we’ll be renting the theater to the Louisa County High School for their annual ‘Louisa Idol’ contest. The entire facility rental is a burgeoning piece of the whole Louisa Arts Center enterprise. Its potential has yet to be fully tapped.”
Caputi said over the next five years he sees the Louisa Arts Center on its way to financial self-sufficiency. “I see the Arts Center in a place where our patrons and donors have truly shared in our success, and we are able to continue serving the community and fulfilling our mission.”
For more information, visit www.louisaarts.org.
