BETHLEHEM, Pa. – ArtsQuest on Friday announced the completion of the “first pillar” of its Re-Imagine That! Capital Campaign, saying it will hold a grand re-opening of the renovated first floor of the ArtsQuest Center.
The organization also announced what it called “a generous gift” from Crayola toward its planned ArtsQuest Cultural Center, which will replace the Banana Factory in Bethlehem.
- ArtsQuest announced a grand reopening of the first floor of its ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem will be 5:30 p.m. Monday. The event will be invitation only
- The organization also announced a "generous gift" from Crayola for its planned ArtsQuest Cultural Center, which is slated to replace the Banana Factory in Bethlehem
- The first-floor ArtsQuest Center renovation was completed in 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic
The event will be 5:30 p.m. Monday inside the ArtsQuest Center’s Palette and Pour Restaurant and the Frank Banko Alehouse Red Cinema. The event will be invitation only.
The first-floor renovation was completed in spring 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
It offers what ArtsQuest described as a “new spacious and modern floor plan [that] includes the Palette & Pour Restaurant, with a full-service bar serving light fare, with plentiful table seating for 118 people, the Williams-Brew stage for open mic nights and smaller scale entertainment and comfortable lounge style seating throughout.”
The first floor also includes The Gregg and Cindy Feinberg Welcome Center, Anne and Brad Baum’s ‘Baums Corner’, the Mike and Ike Box Office and a space dedicated to the Yee Family that’s being developed.
Cultural Center will be 'second pillar'
The second pillar of the campaign is the planned new ArtsQuest Cultural Center, which will replace the Banana Factory, now at 25 W. Third Street, Bethlehem. The new state-of-the-art facility, slated to be 74,000 square feet, “will make a major positive impact on the SouthSide community and all of Bethlehem,” Artsquest said in a news release.
The new cultural arts center “will make a major positive impact on the SouthSide community and all of Bethlehem. It will serve as a visible and creative western gateway to the SouthSide Arts District, offer expanded initiatives designed for all ages, provide space and technology that will double the number of students it currently serves and foster economic development and tourism.”ArtsQuest news release announcing a "generous gift" from Crayola
“It will serve as a visible and creative western gateway to the SouthSide Arts District, offer expanded initiatives designed for all ages, provide space and technology that will double the number of students it currently serves and foster economic development and tourism,” the release says.
ArtsQuest announced that Crayola is giving a “generous gift” in support of the Cultural Center. It did not disclose the amount of the gift.
“Crayola has been a proud supporter of ArtsQuest for many years,” Crayola Executive Vice President Orville Trout, who also is chairman of ArtsQuest’s board of trustees, said in the release.
“From supporting artistic family-focused experiences at Musikfest to youth educational opportunities and everything in between, we are a firm believer in providing access to the arts for everyone throughout our communities," Trout said. "Both Crayola’s and ArtsQuest missions perfectly align, and we look forward to our partnership for years to come.”
ArtsQuest Chief Executive Officer Kassie Hilgert said, “We are incredibly grateful to Crayola for their generous gift toward making this new Cultural Center a reality. Without the support of local businesses like Crayola, a project of this size and scope would not be feasible. Here’s to getting another step closer to putting the shovel in the ground.”
