Grass Valley Center for the Arts all aglow

IN JUST ONE DECADE, THE CENTER FOR the Arts in Grass Valley has become one of the leading arts and entertainment venues in the Sierra Foothills.

Once the site of an auto repair garage on a mini-“auto row,” The Center has become a multipurpose hub for performing arts, including a 300-seat theater. More upgrades are planned, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the city’s redevelopment agency.

“We provide a strong economic base, bringing 100,000 people to downtown annually,” says Julie Baker, the new executive director, who worked in the New York art scene for years, as well as here.

Like all of the foothills’ non-profit groups for the arts, The Center faces economic challenges stemming from the recession.

Baker’s plan is to focus much more on fundraising to expand The Center, not just ticket sales. “We need to let people know that entertainment is not something ‘extra’; it’s integral,” she says.

The Center has helped expand multiculturalism in the foothills with its performances. A prime example was helping to host the first-ever Taiko Festival brought to Grass Valley four years ago. Taiko, a Japanese style of drumming, has a long and rich history.

The festival featured Grass Valley Taiko, where members build their own drums, create their own costumes and perform.

The group, whose members range in age from 7 years old to more than 70 years old, makes their home in the historic Saint Joseph’s Cultural Center in Grass Valley.

At the festival, Grass Valley Taiko shared the stage with San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Marysville YBA Taiko and Ume Taiko Dan of Penryn. It culminated in two sold-out performances at The Center.

The performances The Center sponsors or hosts run the gamut, including concerts, dances, seminars, festivals and workshops.

On Oct. 17, it is bringing The Smothers Brothers to the foothills, a comedy act that has lasted five decades. Tom and Dick’s first professional appearance as the Smothers Brothers was at the Purple Onion in San Francisco in February 1959. Tom also owns the Remick Ridge Vineyards and Smothers Winery in Kenwood, which is his home.

The performance will be held at the Grass Valley Veterans Memorial Building.

Next year, The Center plans to launch a performing arts series of programming—in comedy, jazz, dance and so on. “It’s going to great,” Baker says. “We’ll be planning the shows well in advance.”

The Center for the Arts
314 W. Main St., Grass Valley
530-273-8384
www.thecenterforthearts.org