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Del Norte Center For The Performing Arts
The Del Norte Center for the Performing Arts will first and foremost be dedicated to supporting the arts education curricula in Del Norte and Curry Counties. Designed to accommodate music, dance, and theater, the Center will provide both rehearsal and performance space, and state-of-the-art technical facilities.
ACCESS. CONNECTION. OPPORTUNITY.
A COMMUNITY RISES
Partnership for the Performing Arts (PPA) was formed in 2021 to realize one transformative vision: the development of a 1,000-seat multi-purpose performing arts venue. This one project will touch everyone in its radius: students, families, teachers, artists, business owners, and residents of all ages, interests, cultures, and perspectives.
It is a whole-of-community project with a whole-of-community impact for countless generations to come:
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Students will have a facility that will transform their educational experience and give them equal access to resources most others take for granted.
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An incredibly diverse local and regional community will have a venue in which to showcase its talents and celebrate its cultural richness.
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Area residents will experience a range of professional performing artists they currently must travel hundreds of miles to see.
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Local and regional businesses will benefit from the increased economic activity that comes with attendance at performances, community gatherings, conferences, and special events.
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A community regularly exposed to the threat of tsunamis will have a much-needed emergency evacuation center inside the city limits, outside the tsunami zone, and located on the high school campus, which includes a cafeteria.
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A community that has struggled for decades in the face of economic decline and loss of identity will rise with new pride as a hub for the arts, creativity, education, safety, and excellence.
The Center's purpose will go beyond the boundaries of the campus. It will provide a respectable location to hold local civic events, official visitors, VIPs, and community forums. The Center will serve as both a home base for the several professional and volunteer performing arts groups in the area and a top-notch facility to draw in out-of-town professional performers. Due to its interconnected goal with the school districts, it is possible to work with visiting artists to provide kids with unique learning experiences.
The Center will serve as a catalyst for growth and a center of activity, act as a meeting place for students, families, and community organizations, revive the sense of pride in a community that has experienced economic hardship, and adamantly proclaim that the Wild Rivers area is a great place to raise a family and take advantage of the rich diversity of human endeavor. The Center project, therefore, has the potential to dramatically alter the whole neighborhood.
The opportunity to realize the vision for the Center comes about thanks to these critical sources of inspired philanthropy:
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The generosity of Crescent City residents Nick & Lisa Rail, who have dedicated over $1M in assets toward the fulfillment of the vision, and are leading the fundraising efforts.
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A gift from DNUSD of land on the DNHS campus sufficient to fully support the location of a large indoor performance venue.
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A $2.5M appropriation delivered by Sen. Mike McGuire through the California State Legislature to support the Center’s design and planning.
NEW PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN
The community has desired to create a true “Home for the Arts” in Del Norte County since the late 1990s to serve not just the High School and County, but to draw people from outside the area to attend concerts and events and make this a destination center.
The depictions shown in these graphics are not final and are subject to change.
CULTURAL PACIFIC NORTHWEST THEME
CONCEPTUAL RENDERINGS
The depictions shown in these graphics are not final and are subject to change.
This project proposes the construction of the Del Norte Center for the Performing Arts. Through a partnership with the Del Norte Unified School District, the Center will be located on the Del Norte High School campus, with immediate connectivity to the
school. It will provide students with a state-of-the-art rehearsal and performance space that can accommodate the performing arts in all forms. The Center will also feature active gallery space for sculpture, painting, drawings, and other visual mediums.
The primary purpose of the performing arts center is to engage young people throughout the county and to enhance their exposure to the transformational magic of the arts. It will be an investment from the community to its young people and to generations to come in Del Norte County.
OPPORTUNITY
A WHOLE COMMUNITY APPROACH
As a regional hub, the Center would provide an ideal location to host local and visiting artists, educational and civic events, and conferences. It can also serve as a much-needed emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster.
As home to five diverse tribes of Native Americans, including the largest active tribe in the state (the Yurok), the Center will offer a gathering space to learn about the human history of the region, and the traditional relationship between the indigenous peoples and the natural bounty that has nurtured and sustained them. Its design will reflect these sensibilities.
THE CAMPAIGN
Our vision is aspirational. With a campaign goal of $42 Million, initial preparations are currently underway, with an anticipated completion date of January 2028. The dollars raised will be used to cover all aspects of the design and construction, as well as create endowment funds to support arts programs and scholarships, and sustain the ongoing operations of the Center.
We intend for this project to be a powerful resource that leverages investments to stimulate economic strength and vitality. Thus, we will seek to raise the majority of funds from outside of Del Norte County. It will represent a transformative affirmation of the community we love and cherish, and an investment in countless generations to come.
