WHY AN ARTS CENTER?

As Printed in the Cadillac News

To Make A Tax Deductable Donation of Any Amount:

 Please send check or money order to: Cadillac Arts Council, P.O. Box 612, Cadillac, Michigan  49601

If you are interested in making a donation through an estate plan or will, please contact Mike Filkins, president or Dave Shankland, treasurer.

"The Cadillac Arts Council, which includes all arts groups in town, wants to have its own building to house any arts-related activity in the area. Whether it’s a place for gallery exhibits, plays, dances, orchestra rehearsals, speakers or culinary arts lessons, the Cadillac Arts Council wants the building to feature it all.

Filkins said the 24 local people who came to Cadillac Arts Council meetings to discuss the arts center agreed that the building needs to be located within walking distance of downtown Cadillac.

"There’s been quite a bit of study of downtown revitalization projects, and whenever an art center becomes a successful piece of that whole process, it’s because they attached it to the downtown, refitted an older building that perhaps wasn’t in use in the downtown," Filkins said. "They’ve created something vibrant out of something that was old and closed."

Filkins said the space in which the arts center will be located needs to be large enough to accommodate between 200 to 250 seats, for such events as Footliters’ plays.

FOOTLITERS’ PLANS

Cadillac Footliters bought property next to Blue Heron Cafe on North Mitchell Street in 2004 and planned to build a new theater, which was known as the Phoenix Project.

But it looks like the theater group might not be building.

"There are no major plans yet as far as decisions (regarding what to do with the Cadillac Footliters’ property), but we would definitely want to be part of whatever the arts council does because that is our excitement," said Sally Goggin, board president of Cadillac Footliters.

The play group has not discussed plans regarding its property, but Goggin said they’re on board with the Cadillac Arts Council, which "may mean our finding something else to do with our property so that we can be a part of the art council decisions."

"We’re a part of the arts council and want to support that, and it would be much more beneficial to share a facility than to strike out on our own," Goggin said."

To Make A Tax Deductable Donation of Any Amount:

 Please send check or money order to: Cadillac Arts Council, P.O. Box 612, Cadillac, Michigan  49601

If you are interested in making a donation through an estate plan or will, please contact Mike Filkins, president or Dave Shankland, treasurer.