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Rendering courtesy of MKSD Architects.
Rep. Samuelson Secures $100,000 Greenways Program Grant for Outdoor Plazas
BETHLEHEM, PA–The plans for ArtsQuest’s Cultural Center continue to take shape as State Rep. Steve Samuelson just announced a $100,000 state Greenways program grant to support construction of the two outdoor arts plazas planned as part of the proposed Cultural Center on the site of the Banana Factory.
The $100,000 in Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program funding was approved yesterday by the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The new funding is in addition to a previously announced $100,000 grant for the project obtained by state Sen. Lisa Boscola in September.
“The new Cultural Center will build upon ArtsQuest’s outstanding record as a beacon for the arts in our community and will bring new performance venues to the SouthSide,” Samuelson said. “The arts plazas to be built with this grant funding will ensure that outdoor venues are an integral part of the new center.”
The two outdoors plazas will be the gateways to the new 80,000-square-foot, three-story Cultural Center, which will include both new construction and adaptive reuse of two buildings located on the current Banana Factory site. The 3rd Street Arts Plaza, proposed to be 5,300-square feet, will be a flexible outdoor venue for interactive public art installations and digital projections by regional and national artists, as well as a space for events, weddings, parties and festivals like the growing SouthSide Arts and Music Festival, which takes place each spring.
Located only a short walk from the popular SouthSide Greenway, the plaza will also be the gateway to much of the SouthSide Arts District. A highlight of the new outdoor space will be the ability for the community to view inside the Cultural Center’s MakerSpaces, where artists, students and members of the public will be collaborating on everything from sculpture and 3D art to metal, woodworking and more. In addition, the plaza will feature digital screens for projection mapping and a variety of digital artwork.
Located on the northern end of the Cultural Center, the 2nd Street Arts Plaza will accommodate a variety of programs, including serving as an outdoor classroom for ArtsQuest’s new Arts-Based Preschool Program, its ArtSmart afterschool program and summer art camps. The 9,600-square-foot space will also host nature-inspired adult art classes including en plein air painting and raku kilns for alternative ceramics firing processes.
Easily accessed from the Cultural Center’s parking area, the 2nd Street Arts Plaza will also serve as a community gathering space to encourage creativity and collaboration by artists, community groups and members of the public. Visitors will have excellent vantage points to watch artists hard at work on their masterpieces, as well as be able to peer into the new, 5,000-square-foot Glass Studio via the studio’s large glass windows.
“Securing two grants from the state’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program really highlights the growing support for the Cultural Center project, which focuses on community revitalization and economic development through the arts,” says ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert. “The 3rd Street Arts Plaza, especially, will make a strong connection to the SouthSide Greenway and the rest of the SouthSide Arts District, exposing visitors to Bethlehem’s many shops, restaurants and arts organizations. We thank State Rep. Steve Samuelson, as well as State Sen. Lisa Boscola, for all of their efforts and hard work in securing these grants for the new Cultural Center.”
With the additional funding secured by Samuelson, ArtsQuest has now received $200,000 in Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program funding for the construction of the two arts plazas. It is currently estimated that building construction project will cost between $16 and $18.4 million; no construction start date has been set.
Information provided to TVL by:
Mark Demko, ArtsQuest
http://www.artsquest.org/
