13
MIXED MEDIUM
THE ARTS AROUND
EASTERN OREGON
MARCH 2�9, 2022
ACE celebrates 45 years in March
By Lisa Britton
Go! Magazine
L
A GRANDE — Art Center
East is celebrating its 45th
birthday this month, but its roots
lie with a diff erent name.
The Eastern Oregon Regional
Arts Council formed in 1977 to
help disperse federal dollars to
support the arts and support
emerging art centers, such as
Crow’s Shadow in Pendleton and
Fishtrap in Enterprise.
When the council disbanded,
ArtsEast emerged to provide
art services, in partnership
with Eastern Oregon University,
across a 10-county region. It was
located on the campus of EOU
and focused primarily on sup-
porting art education in schools.
In 2015, ArtsEast merged with
the Union County Arts & Culture
Center to become Art Center
East, located in the Carnegie
library building at 1006 Penn Ave.
“I think it was a benefi t to our
community when that hap-
pened,” said Nancy Knowles, ACE
board president.
Combining the organizations
also helped pool resources in
Union County.
“(Before merging) they were
vying for the same membership
and same volunteers,” said Darcy
Dolge, ACE executive director.
Class off erings grew after the
merger, and today ACE provides
workshops in various art tech-
niques, music lessons, drum-
ming, community choirs and
much more.
“We have such a giant roster
of talented, creative people,”
Dolge said.
ACE also hosts shows in its
galleries to showcase artists from
around the region.
In a continuation from its
ArtsEast days, ACE provides
art-related outreach as well with
the AiRS program — Artists in
Rural Schools. This program pairs
teaching artists with schools
around Eastern Oregon to enrich
the regular art curriculum.
To see a full class schedule,
or to view current art shows, visit
artcentereast.org.
CELEBRATION
Although the offi cial birth-
day is March 2, Art Center East
is celebrating throughout the
month with a membership drive,
new merchandise commemorat-
ing the milestone and weekly pro-
motions announced in its online
newsletter (sign up at artcen-
tereast.org/our-story/newsletter).
The various membership
levels are listed online at artcen-
tereast.org/membership. Mem-
bers receive discounts in the ACE
gift gallery, 20% off class fees,
the Frequent Maker Program
(spend $200 on classes and get
River & Wave/Contributed image
Art Center East is located in the Carnegie Library building, 1006 Penn Ave. in
La Grande.
$25 off the next registration) and
15% off the purchase of The
Crafter’s Box.
For the Household level ($50
per year) or higher, members re-
ceive a limited edition print. This
tradition started in 2013 — Susan
Murrell, associate professor of
art at EOU, selects a print made
by an EOU senior.
“Each time you renew your
membership, you get a new
print,” Dolge said.
ACE is a nonprofi t organization
and depends on grants, member-
ships, business sponsorships
and individual donations.
“We are very much a
community-centered organiza-
tion,” Knowles said.
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