Humboldt Arts Council prepares to open the Carnegie Jan. 1

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A Community Art Center
Humboldt Arts Council prepares to open the Carnegie Jan. 1 
by Debbie Goodwin

Members of the team Floyd Bettiga, Muriel Dinsmore and project superintendent Jack Arrington of RESCO Construction posing in front of the old Carnegie Library, a Humboldt County landmark. By the first day of the new millennium, the construction scaffolding will be removed, the mortar between the bricks all dried, and the community will come celebrate its love of art in a special building carefully restored. Photo by Barbara Clark

As the holiday season approaches, our thoughts often turn to special memories and gratitude for the blessings in life. This year, those of us at the Humboldt Arts Council are feeling an additional sense of expectancy and exhilaration. The dreams of many are about to become fully realized as we finalize details for our grand opening of the restored historic Carnegie building.

Three years ago the restoration project began with an eager grassroots campaign to create a permanent center and showcase for the arts in our region. Members of the board of directors, Sally Arnot, Muriel Dinsmore, Floyd Bettiga, Gale Williams and others, along with generous support from Humboldt Bank, General Hospital and Tri-City Weekly, found every occasion to encourage people to help save the Carnegie "brick buy brick."

In January of 1997 we moved into the Carnegie and produced our programs, publications and events from temporary quarters in the treasured landmark. We garnered ideas and high plans for the facility from artists and the community at large. In 1998 we learned that in order to accommodate the upgrades to host traveling exhibits and maintain conservation standards of a museum, the project budget more than doubled. Instead of dampening our spirits, the formidable task inspired us to launch a vigorous challenge campaign under the undaunted leadership of Sally Arnot.

Sally's passion for the project is indeed contagious and the project has become unstoppable. The naming opportunities for galleries and other features of the art center continue to build in interest exponentially as the restoration materializes and people know that their philanthropic contribution is actually making a difference they can see and feel.

As we near the end of 1999, we have raised more than $1.2 million toward our total construction goal of $1.5 million. Our fundraising efforts will continue seamlessly into a $2 million endowment campaign to support operations of the facility in perpetuity. Simultaneously, the staff of the Arts Council is excitedly preparing to move into our splendid new home. We have a full calendar of exhibitions and educational activities committed for the year. Our arts resource center and grants programs continue to expand and attend to identified issues and opportunities for the arts.

As always, we are deeply grateful to our community for helping us to advance our work. Please join us on Saturday, January 1 to celebrate this extraordinary achievement for the arts in Humboldt County!

Debbie Goodwin is the executive director of the Humboldt Arts Council. She can be reached by e-mail at humboldt@telis.org.

One-time article Copyright 1999 by Humboldt Senior Resource Center.