A splash of green in the form of a $560,000 grant has moved the work-in-progress known as the Edmonds Center for the Arts closer to completion.
The Snohomish County Council approved on May 17 a grant of tourism-tax revenue previously awarded to the Fine Arts Center of Edmonds. The reallocation was OK’d after the two arts organizations reached an agreement that provides FACE space on the ECA campus for office and activity space.
Yet to be hammered out are details of the agreement.
The grant covers more than half of a match required for the $1 million awarded by the state to Edmonds Community College for the arts center. EdCC plans to use ECA — which intends to open in the Fall of 2007 — for performing-arts and training activities.
ECA received more good news in the form of a $7,000 grant by The Hubbard Foundation. The two gifts bring ECA fundraising to $14.5 million, just $2 million shy of the capital-campaign goal of $16.5 million, reported Kjristine Lund, project manager. The remaining money will be raised through auditorium-seat sales, private gifts and foundation grants, she added.
“This is a historic opportunity to leverage funding from our community to realize our dream of a first-class performing-arts center,” added Dave Earling, president of the public phase of the capital campaign.
The arts center is being built by the Public Facilities District at the site of the former Puget Sound Christian College in downtown Edmonds. It is destined to be a regional performing and fine-arts hub housed in fully restored buildings anchored by a multi-purpose, Art Moderne-era auditorium.
FACE seeks to bring art into public view with artist-in-action studios, display and gallery spaces, community art opportunities and art classrooms. Organizers had hoped to locate FACE on or near the Edmonds waterfront, but financial and practical considerations prompted them to cast their lot with the ECA.
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