THE GADSDEN ARTS CENTER – A BRIEF HISTORY

The Gadsden Arts Center (formally Gadsden Arts, Inc.) was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1994 to provide exhibitions of fine art and art education to the people of Gadsden County, a rural county that is highly diverse culturally, racially, and ethnically. Gadsden Arts is the outgrowth of a community volunteer effort that began in 1989 when a local artist, Beth Appleton and her husband, David Harbaugh developed Art in Gadsden: a juried exhibition of fine art. Art in Gadsden served regional artists, brought fine art to area residents and school groups, and attracted visitors to Gadsden County.

Volunteers and the Quincy Main Street Program managed Art in Gadsden through 1993. In 1994, the volunteers created a non-profit corporation, Gadsden Arts, Inc. After obtaining non-profit IRS 501 (c)(3) status, the group found and purchased a historic building (c. 1904) with individual gifts and a state historic preservation grant. The building provided a permanent base for operations, but offered only 800 square feet of public space for exhibitions, meetings and events. By 1994, it became clear that more space was needed, and that lack of space limited the activities Gadsden Arts could provide for the community.
In 1996, Mark Bates offered the Bell and Bates building to Gadsden Arts, Inc. to be transformed into a permanent arts center, with a prominent location on Quincy’s historic courthouse square. The building, a landmark since its construction in 1910, had been a community center as a family hardware business for 86 years.

In 1997 the all-volunteer organization hired its first paid staff and hired Zoe Golloway as Founding Executive Director. Golloway was an incorporator of the organization and its first board President, as well as having many years experience in managing non-profit organizations. That year, Gadsden Arts funded operations and acquired close to $800,000 toward renovating the Bell and Bates building. With staff support, the Strategic Planning Committee began planning to take the arts center into the 21st Century. Committee members drove 1,000 miles to visit museums in North Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. They created and distributed a community survey that brought back a wealth of information about the types of exhibits and educational activities desired. Their labor created the vision, mission and values statements, and organizational goals that now guide Gadsden Arts, Inc.

After an initial $1.5 million goal was established and one historic building transformation being planned, The Gadsden Arts board seized an opportunity to buy a one-story connecting building to house support services for the art center, including a gift shop, offices, vault for the Permanent Collection, storage and receiving areas. This added $175,000 to the total campaign goal. Individual and corporate contributions, plus state funding of $125,000 supported a Capital Campaign that amassed $1.4 million in cash and stock donations and pledges. Construction began in August of 1999; renovation came in on budget and on time. The building opened to the public on September 17, 2000. The move from 1700 to 15,000 square feet was complete.

In 2007, with gifts from generous private donors, the Gadsden Arts Center acquired the Fletcher Building, a 2,000 sq. ft. space at 9 N. Madison Street, adjacent to the Arts Center Gift Shop. The space required comprehensive renovation, which began in 2007 with replacement of the roof. A combination of CRA and private funds supported completion of the building renovation in 2008. The building opened to the public in January 2009, home to the Gadsden Arts Center Artists Co-op and Miss Helen's Espresso Café D'art.

In late 2009, thanks to support from private donors, the Gadsden Arts Center completed art receiving and storage facilities, with the installation of rack systems in the vault and the construction of a prep table in the art receiving area. The Center was also the recipient of a generous gift of Southern Vernacular Art from Dr. Lou and Calynne Hill, more than doubling the size of the permanent collection.

The Gadsden Arts Center looks forward to many more exciting years of growth in service to the regional community.