BUFFY POLLOCK PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASHLAND ART CENTER
CREATIVE COMEBACK
Ashland Art Center poised to reopen better than ever with town's support
Almost.
Not only would the art center reopen, but it would return stronger than before. Brandon Goldman, board president, says the voluntary period of dormancy was both short-lived and productive. The threat of losing the art center, it turned out, was like a call to action to those who valued its presence in the downtown and local art communities. “The COVID crisis has hit arts organizations particularly hard. For most arts organizations, like ours, a big part of the business model is social interaction,” says Goldman. “So cutting social interaction out, from classes for kids, expeditions, gallery space and our studio artists that occupied the second floor in close proximity to one another — it all had to cease in response to the Governor’s mandate — didn’t leave us with many options. “We had to really take a step back and see how to help the organization continue to move forward,”
“Going forward, we were able to negotiate a new lease agreement to secure the building for a full year, through July 2021, so we’re in a good position now that we don’t have any old debt and have a building for the next year,” says Goldman.
\ FALL 2020
Raising the proverbial Phoenix from its ashes, however, those who most love the art center rushed to its aid, rallying to find ways to save their beloved space. In a series of serendipitous events, board members announced a newfound hope by midsummer.
Goldman says board members got to work on some new ideas for the art center including finding ways to retire old debt, thanks to community members who offered generous support. An added boost, property owner Greg Provost offered a waiver for months during which the center could not be open due to the coronavirus.
N O R T H W E S T
Lingering debt and sudden lack of revenue, coupled with a halt on public gatherings, found the board of directors making the tough decision in early May to announce that the center would permanently close its doors.
he says. “In the end, looking at the silver linings, that voluntary period of dormancy provided us an opportunity to decide how we could respond to changing conditions for, not only the pandemic, but how to really recreate the art center in a more sustainable way.”
D I S T I N C T LY
A
creative hub for the close-knit art community in Ashland’s picturesque downtown for more than a decade, Ashland Art Center was almost an immediate casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re looking at a capital campaign to bring back staff, re-add an operations manager and potentially an artistic director.” Artist JoAnn Manzone says the local art community was hopeful to see the art center reopen better than ever. Manzone says she and fellow artists were “like a family” and sorely missed the community feel of the studio space and gallery. “I started off in the gallery there, and eventually I took a studio upstairs. To have a working studio, for me personally, and the whole experience of being there with other working artists, was so eye opening for me and helped me to grow so much as an artist,” says Manzone. “I was used to creating in solitude, so to be able to connect with other artists while you’re creating, and continued on page 34
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