Art center celebrates 30 years

It’s a year of milestones in Lake Orion.
Not only is the village celebrating its 150th birthday, but the area’s oracle of creative inspiration is also having an anniversary.
This year, the Orion Art Center is all grown up. It turns 30, an age that usually signifies a certain maturation.
‘It’s pretty substantial that this organization has been around 30 years,? said Reggie Harrison, who’s been the center’s director since 2001. ‘The arts feed your soul and it’s very important to have a place like this.?
Tucked behind Children’s Park between Fire Station #1 and Paint Creek, the art center has been a gem in the community since its beginnings in 1979.
But the creatively decorated Victorian house that now stands near the gently flowing creek wasn’t always there.
Founding members Packy Eckola, Helen Cunniff, Joan Brace, Isabel Van Tassel, Elaine Darbee, Doris Stauber and others had the dream of an art center in 1976.
But they would not get rooms of their own until 1979 when a committee formed to find a suitable facility. That same year, the United Methodist Church was willing to donate their historic parsonage to the fledgling group for their center.
The Village of Lake Orion then leased the parcel of land on Anderson Street to the center. Now, the house just had to be moved down the street.
With financial help from Orion Township and physical support from many local volunteers, the building was moved to its current location on June 11, 1979.
In 1980, the house was officially dubbed the Orion Cultural Center and opened to the public thanks to funding from mostly local sources and some grants. In 1981, it gained non-profit status.
Art and money, though, have always had an uneasy relationship.
The Orion Art Center, like almost every like-minded institution devoted to the humanities, is being forced to do more with less.
With cuts in the state budget, grant money has dried up. But the center has gotten creative not only on the canvas, but also in the fundraising department, hosting wine tastings and its annual Snowflake Ball so it can continue its mission.
‘It’s an exciting time and a scary time,? said board member Sue Turpen. ‘The arts are in dire need; the Orion Art Center is in dire need.?
The center is also currently having a sponsorship drive in honor of its anniversary. They are also currently beginning a ?$10 to $10,000? fundraising campaign where they hope to get 1,000 people to give ten bucks.
In its 30 years, the center has prided itself on bringing the arts in all its various forms to the Orion community, Harrison said.
Local artists could not only have studio space at the center and have a place to exhibit the work, but they could also host classes in every artistic disciplines from painting to photography to music.
Harrison said the classes are a very important tradition to keep up for the children who take them.
To show their devotion, the center also sponsors the Joan Brace Scholarship Competition, which allows graduating artistically-inclined seniors in northern Oakland County the chance at some college money.
Harrison said the center strives to grow and develop within the community.
In the meantime, it has a birthday to celebrate, which they are doing in conjunction with the village’s sesquicentennial.
‘We wanted to do something to celebrate the uniqueness of Lake Orion,? Harrison said.
The result is the upcoming ‘Dragon on the Lake,? which will take place September 26 and 27 downtown. Harrison said it will be a festival that celebrates art, Lake Orion and, of course, Dragons.
The festival will celebrate the area that Harrison said was key in the Orion Art Center being around 30 years.
‘It takes a community to make a place like this work,? she said.
Keep reading The Review for more about ‘Dragon on the Lake.?
For more information about the Orion Art Center, find them online at www.orionartcenter.org or call them at 248-693-4986.