Middletown >> “It’s well documented that the arts help sustain and keep communities healthy and thriving,” said Lisa Kaplan, the Director of Education and Community Outreach for a new art center in Middletown. “There’s grants out there specifically for that because people know it’s true.”
Kaplan, along with five other artists, got together just over three months ago to set up the Middletown Art Center, a hopeful new cultural hub for Lake County. The center sits at the corner of Highway 29 and 175, in a renovated gymnasium. The building has gallery space for exhibitions, a lot for a sculpture garden and two classrooms for art instruction. The center will hold it’s Gala Opening in just over a month, on March 28.
The project has been moving at lightning speed. “We’re just getting started and it’s been really fast tracking because we just started with the idea a couple months ago and here we are with this space,” said Kristina Della Valle, Director of Marketing and Operations. “It’s really moving much faster than even we thought. Just serendipitously we were able to get the space that she [Kaplan] had her eyes on and we’re renovating that now which is really exciting.”
The very beginnings of this project extend back to last year when Kaplan and some moms from the local charter school got together and decided that the community needed some sort of art center. The idea came after the closing of a local gallery and a consequent lack of space for cultural endeavors. “It was time to get back on the saddle and find a solution for our artistic and community needs around art,” Kaplan said. “It became evident to me that the best place to do it was gonna be the building on the corner of 29 and 175, also known are the old gymnasium, and that we would need the whole thing and that would be the best place to accomplish what we were trying to do.”
So Kaplan spoke to the landlord of the building, before she even had a group put together, and told him she was interested in the building. She knew that the bookstore, which resides behind the gymnasium, was going to close and she would have access to that space. And then in January the front of the building became available and the Middletown Art Center board members pounced. “It’s the kind of space that when you tell people … they go, ‘Oh that’s a perfect place,’” Kaplan said. “It became available so we just had to jump on it. We couldn’t wait for the next person to have a business.”
Kaplan shares Della Valle’s feelings; the process has been a whirlwind. “Everything is happening really, really quickly. It was a month and a half early pretty much,” Kaplan said. “I compare it to having a baby. You’re never really ready no matter how much you prepare and it’s a lot more work than you think too.”
Aside from a 1,500 square foot area in the front of the building, the other important feature of the Middletown Art Center are two classrooms for various instruction including painting, sculpture, mosaics, photography, digital media, and many other classes. “Our goal is to have a dirty classroom and a clean classroom,” explained Kaplan, who constructs large sculptures. Providing two classrooms is very important, she said, so that artists like her, who are also teachers, can work on their art and teach simultaneously. “For me personally, I would like to be doing more of my artwork,” she said. “I don’t have enough space to have both going on. I’m sure there’s other artists like me out there who would like to teach … and have a studio. It takes too much time to flip between a classroom and a studio.”
This is just one example of the significant attention to detail and level of thought put into this center. “This offers adequate space for really getting into materials and learning sculpture and painting and having sufficient space to really offer a broad variety of classes in different media,” said Kaplan. “It provides artists a resource center. So the artists now have a place where they can show their work and artists can be represented.”
Della Valle expanded on this. “It’s really going to be a major resource for the arts in Lake County and we will be offering other professional services such as portfolio review and building, marketing consultations for artists,” she said. “Our direction is going to be more towards a global market. So representing Lake County artists, helping them to develop their careers and market their work, not only within the county, but also nationally and hopefully eventually be able to participate in a global market.”
Middletown Art Center will also implement high standards when choosing artists for exhibitions. “All of the artwork will be juried into each show depending on how it’s going to fit into that particular exhibition,” explained Della Valle. “The quality I think of the art is going to be a very high level … It’s going to be very unique in the sense that you’re going to see extremely good quality of artwork consistently.”
Aspiring artists will also be able to utilize the space, though it might take some time for that to come to fruition. “We’re gonna be able to offer some kind of college prep classes and possibly we’re working towards college credit for our classes,” said Kaplan. “Which will in turn support the students who are looking into going to art school but don’t have a background and don’t have a portfolio.” Kaplan said that Middletown High School offers a photography class for a quarter, but for those considering a career in art this isn’t enough time. “Not if you’re really interested. Then you need time to develop it and get feedback from a professional photographer. Especially if you wanna go into any of those applied arts.”
But as much as the Middletown Art Center seeks to benefit artists, it’s more importantly an endeavor to help the community at large. “What we want to present first is that this is a community art resource,” Kaplan stressed. “From participating in exhibitions to participating in classes and teaching classes … When you enrich our artists and they can do more work you enrich your community.”
Tourism certainly comes into play here. Kaplan referenced Harbin Hot Springs, which drew over 100,000 visitors yearly. She also said that 10,000 cars pass through Middletown every day. These people who are just visiting for a couple of hours or a few days are likely to go out for a bite to eat and peruse the gift shops. And with the Middletown Art Center, they’ll have even more incentive to check out the community. “Middletown is really uniquely positioned in Lake County for this thing to succeed, because of where we’re located at the headlands of root 29 in Lake County,” said Kaplan. “We’re right there.”
Della Valle had similar feelings about the prime location. “I think it’s going to be very special,” she said. “I think it’s placement, it’s location is going to be sort of a fulcrum for just getting a gateway experience for what’s available.”
Kaplan is looking for help from the community to make all of their goals a reality. “This is a real great thing for the whole community. It’s going to benefit our artists too but it’s going to benefit everyone,” she said. “Give a little, give a lot, together we make this happen. It’s for all of us, it really is part of community development. Everybody keeps talking about the importance of arts and culture. We’re doing it, support us.”
Visit middletownartcenter.org for more information, such as making a tax deductible donation, viewing requirements for submitting portfolios and general information on membership fees.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
