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ArtsAltoona reveals plans

A pair of local advocates for cultural development outlined an ambitious, many-faceted program to use the arts as a tool for economic development in the greater Altoona area at a meeting of the Greater Altoona Economic Development Corp. this week.

Representing newly formed ArtsAltoona, ex-Blair County Commissioner Donna Gority and Altoona Symphony Orchestra board member Ken Decker laid out the main components of a plan to turn Altoona into an artistic hub, starting with a web-based interactive calendar for arts-related events, along with a social media presence and newsletter.

As outlined Monday, ArtsAltoona also hopes to create an “artist maze” in the former Kress building on 11th Avenue, an arts education center in the former First United Methodist Church across from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and a “creative district” centered on downtown — with a district manager who would operate like the former Altoona main street manager.

ArtsAltoona hopes the initiative will encourage investment, create new jobs, attract people to live in the area, help the local economy grow, generate additional taxes and fill a healthy share of the vacant building space in Altoona and elsewhere in the county.

The artist maze at the Kress building, also known as the JK Sports building, could include 30 or 40 separate studios that artists — visual artists, sculptors and others — could rent to use for production of their works, a common space for display and sale of those works, the ArtsAltoona offices and possibly retail rental space on the first floor, officials indicated.

The artist studios would be open at certain hours so visitors could watch the artists at work and talk with them about their creative processes.

It could be like the Millworks in Harrisburg, Gority said.

There could also be a rooftop cafe.

The 20,000-square-foot building is currently a “mess” and would probably need to be gutted and rebuilt from within, at a cost estimated at $1.5 million, according to Decker.

ArtsAltoona has a 90-day option on the building, which the owner is willing to donate as a tax write-off, according to Decker.

At the request of ArtsAltoona, nonprofit GAEDC will consider whether to accept the Kress building temporarily, until ArtsAltoona can obtain its own tax-exempt designation.

That service would be contingent there being no cost or liability to GAEDC, according to its CEO Patrick Miller.

The 75,000-square-foot church building could become home to educational programs in partnership with the Altoona Area School District, the Greater Career and Technology Center, the Altoona Area Public Library, Penn State Altoona and corporate sponsors, according to Gority and Decker.

ArtsAltoona hopes to create a program to give at-risk youth access to art studios and art instruction, with the stipulation that they keep up with their schoolwork, according to Gority and Decker.

There could also be vocational training at the church building.

The opportunity for art would be the bait to attract the at-risk youth, the “hook” to snag them, Gority said.

“We want to take some of these kids in the cycle of poverty and give them purpose,” Decker said.

The former church could also become the site for Penn State Altoona art classes, further extending the college’s growing downtown campus, according to Gority and Decker.

And the building could become the site for an outreach of the library, like the one the library formerly maintained at the Penn Alto building, Gority said.

The current owner of the church is willing to sell and is supportive of the organization’s plans, according to Decker.

The creative district would be centered on downtown but could include other areas anchored by such venues as the Church in the Middle of the Block in East End, according to a power point narrated by Decker. The creative district manager would be responsible for attracting artists and relevant businesses and promoting events.

ArtsAltoona leaders have been researching similar efforts in other cities, including 14 in Pennsylvania and some outside the state, Gority said.

The organization has been speaking to a mix of potential partners in the enterprise, including the city, Altoona-Blair County Development Corp., Penn State Altoona, the Blair County Chamber of Commerce, Operation Our Town, the Altoona Area School District, Explore Altoona, the Altoona Area Public Library, United Way of Blair County, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, the Downtown Altoona Business Community, the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, arts organizations and corporate sponsors, according to the power point.

ArtsAltoona hopes to raise funds through corporate donations, grant programs like the Neighborhood Assistance Program, rent from the artists in the maze and a cut of sales made in the maze.

ArtsAltoona will not become an “umbrella” organization for other arts groups, nor be “in charge” of those groups, Gority said. Rather, it will be a “collaborative partner.”

Modeling its corporate structure on Operation Our Town, ArtsAltoona is proposing an “Altoona Renaissance Team” at the top of its organizational chart, with an “Arts, Business and Innovation Council” immediately underneath.

Co-equal below those organizations would be the calendar and related efforts; the artist maze, the arts center at the former church, along with its partnerships; and the creative district.

“I admire your enthusiasm, your vision and your forethought,” said Sandy Zlupko, a representative on the GAEDC board.

Even though he’s been pushing the idea for 30 years and even though there has been active work on developing the program for the past year and a half, many elements of the program remain “speculative,” Decker said.

“We’re in the juggling stage,” he said. “(Still), all of a sudden, it’s coming together.”

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.

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