WCA's Artrageous! Golden Celebration is April 27
Artrageous! Golden Celebration will be held April 27 at Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster. All proceeds will support arts access in Wayne County, specifically WCA's work in removing barriers to art.
Fifty years ago a dedicated group of Wooster residents, in conjunction with The College of Wooster Art Department, started what is now Wayne Center for the Arts. On April 27 the center will celebrate with Artrageous! Golden Celebration. Anyone with a love of art and community, especially those with a history at the center, is invited to purchase tickets and attend.
“We aim to create an evening of inspiring experiences that celebrates art in our community and WCA’s impact,” WCA development manager Tiffany Leeper said.
In addition to being a celebration, the event will be a fundraiser with both a silent auction and live auction.
All proceeds will support arts access in Wayne County, specifically WCA’s work in removing barriers to art. Sometimes this means offering financial aid — over 100 students receive financial aid through WCA’s own program and state programs — and other times it’s creating therapeutic art programs that take place at the arts center or at other facilities and outreach programs in collaboration with other nonprofit groups in the area, like the Wooster Boys & Girls Club of Wooster, YMCA and The Village Network.
Leeper said the arts center is the area’s oldest visual and performing arts organization.
“For 50 years,” she said, “WCA has made art and art education available to the citizens of Wayne County. Wayne Center for the Arts’ mission is ‘Enriching Lives and Strengthening Communities Through Art,’ meaning that art is the vehicle by which we work to improve our community and the people in it.”
This mission is accomplished by focusing on four strategic pillars: increase arts access by removing real and perceived barriers to art, provide high-quality arts education, improve the quality of life for members of the community through art, and contribute to economic development in the community through special events and leadership in the downtown arts district.
WCA offers classes in visual arts, clay, dance, music, digital arts, creative writing and theater. The center also hosts a variety of events, concerts and other performances, all intended to allow greater access to diverse presentations. Leeper said many of the individuals experiencing WCA classes express how it has been an uplifting experience.
The arts center moved into its current home when, in 1983, the Rubbermaid Company purchased the Walnut Street School.
“In 1999 the Rubbermaid Foundation’s donation of the Walnut Street building solidified WCA’s presence in downtown Wooster,” Leeper said.
That same year WCA established a community outreach program to provide arts opportunities to groups such as at-risk youth and those facing mental health and addiction challenges. Further expansion has included a chamber music series and collaborations with schools and the Tri-County Educational Service Center.
Additionally, the center collaborated with the City of Wooster, College of Wooster and Main Street Wooster to study the feasibility of an arts district in downtown Wooster. Wayne Center for the Arts also formalized a plan for continued commitment to accessibility, quality of life and economic growth.
Artrageous will celebrate this history and all that is to come with live music, an open bar, and Mike Mariola Restaurants’ desserts and hors d’oeuvres. Included in the silent auction will be art pieces by local artists like Mike Jackson, Lacey Huffman and Tom Derr. There also will be gift packages for local and regional events and experiences such as an Akron package with tickets to the Ohio Shakespeare Festival, Akron Zoo and Stan Hywet Hall. The silent auction will be open from 6-8 p.m.
At 8 p.m. the live auction will get underway. Items up for bidding will include experiences such as an exclusive downtown rooftop wine-tasting evening with local wine expert Phil Mariola and a backyard barbecue catered by chefs Michael Ollier and Ashley Brenneman of Certified Angus Beef.
Dress for the evening is open to personal choice.
“This event is supposed to be a fun celebration,” Leeper said, “so feel free to wear what feels right for celebrating 50 years of fantastic art — wear what makes you feel inspired.”
Artrageous! Golden Celebration will take place April 27 from 6-9 p.m. at Wayne Center for the Arts, 237 S. Walnut St., Wooster. Advance tickets for the over-21 event are $75 and may be purchased at https://wayneartscenter.org/artrageous/. For more information call 330-264-2787.
Any local businesses wanting to donate gift cards, services or merchandise for the silent auction are invited to email Leeper at Tiffany@WayneArtsCenter.org.
Find Wayne Center for the Arts online at https://wayneartscenter.org/ and on Facebook and Instagram: WayneArtsCenter.
“(Artrageous) will be a great time to look back and celebrate but also to see where WCA is headed in the future,” Leeper said. “The arts center would have never come to fruition without the generous support of our community, and that’s as true today as it was in 1973. We are truly grateful to be supported by this community and to serve it in such a meaningful way.”