Heyde Center for the Arts
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The Heyde Center for the Arts is the current name of a historic building that was saved and restored to its current glory in Chippewa Valley, Wisconsin and is now an arts center. The Heyde Center for the Arts is owned and operated by the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association, a non-profit organization responsible for the building's restoration. The building was originally named the McDonell Memorial High School.
[edit] History
The McDonell Memorial High School building was constructed in 1907 by a lumberman by the name of Alexander McDonell in memory of his wife and four children who had died before him. It was closed in 1964 when a new high school was built on the other side of town. For ten years after it was closed, the building was vandalized and allowed to deteriorate. The owners, the Catholic Church, offered to give the building to the City of Chippewa Falls until the City realized that it would cost $400,000 just to demolish the building. The founding members of the CVCA saw the beauty and potential in the building and organized in 1976 to prevent the demolition of the building.
The Association went through phases of inactivity, and at times the task seemed overwhelming. The project started in the 1970s, but it was halted by a lack of money. Then the project was taken up again in the 1980s when a feasibility study was done on the chances of restoring the building. The feasibility study was decidedly pessimistic, yet the members seemed to take each negative point, turn it around until they found a positive goal to work towards. Even then, it was not until the 1990s when the CVCA reached a critical mass of people and resources that pushed them through the restoration and improvement of the building. The Heyde Center for the Arts is a testament to what a community is able to accomplish when it comes together with a singular goal and a vision. The vision that the founding Association members saw in the dilapidated, decaying building in the mid-1970s was strong and focused enough to finally rally the full and tremendous support of the entire community.
During the long and arduous process of fundraising, and the renovation and restoration of the building, the Association organized performances in many “borrowed spaces” around the city. The early performances raised money and community awareness of the goals of the Association and a sample of the performances and entertainment it would provide in the future. Licensed electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and other skilled and unskilled laborers have provided hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer labor over the years. Over the past five years alone, more than 200 volunteers have donated well over 100,000 hours of skilled and unskilled labor to completing the restoration of the building and to managing the performances it has hosted. The most current appraisal puts the value of the building at $1.3 million dollars, and the CVCA is essentially debt-free. There are ebbs and flows associated with cash flow, but the costs associated with the restoration of the building and the improvements have been completely paid off.
More than 100,000 people a year take part in seasonal art shows and workshops, poetry readings, dance recitals, concerts and theater performances. A 17-member CVCA volunteer board manages the facility and the association boasts more than 350 members. The CVCA maintains a database of 140 actors, 160 musicians and more than 300 visual artists from west-central Wisconsin residents. In addition, it collaborates with nearly a dozen local and state agencies and organizations to provide staffing and arts opportunities for youth and adults needing special services.
[edit] Chippewa Valley Cultural Association
The Chippewa Valley Cultural Association, Inc. (CVCA) was established for two reasons: (1) to save an historic building from being demolished, and (2) to create a center for the arts where community people of all ages and backgrounds could experience a wide variety of arts – creative writing, music, dance, theater, storytelling, and visual. In 2000, the Association was able to fully open its doors, accomplishing the first of its two goals. In 2006, the Association has come a long way in accomplishing its second goal.
These achievements are being recognized by not only the community, but by organizations outside of the Chippewa Valley. For example, the CVCA/Heyde Center for the Arts is the 2006 recipient of the Wisconsin Governor’s Award for Supporting the Arts in the “community organization” category. However the Association realizes that in many ways it has only touched the surface of its potential to be a dynamic and passionate community leader and developer.
With the exception of minor improvements and ongoing repairs, the CVCA has started to focus more of its efforts on being a venue and a pro-active supporter of the arts and culture for the residents of the Chippewa Valley. The CVCA recognizes that the creative industry (combining visual arts, performing arts, dance, music, creative writing, storytelling, food preparation, and so on) is an essential part of the development of a community – economically and socially. The vision of restoring the McDonell Memorial building into a showcase for local performers and artists has driven the organization for such a long period of time so it is time to initiate a strategic planning process to channel finite resources into goals and objectives that will make the most significant impact on the growth and development of arts and culture in the Chippewa Valley.
