Altadena Art Program to Start Up at Loma Alta Elementary

After 18 months of trying, the Altadena Arts Council has succeeded in finding a facility for a new Altadena art center.

The Altadena Arts Council, a local non-profit, will be able to start the center at some time this fall.  The elementary school on that campus will be closed next year and a .

The center will focus on giving local artists a place to exhibit their works, and also a place for workshops, after-school programs, and summer programs for kids, according to Gene Stevenson, a representative of the Arts Council.

"We're kind of in the wilderness as far as people having a place to go ongoing basis to be involved in the arts," Stevenson said.  It's his hope that the art center can change that.

The center will likely be opened some time this fall.

We initially , and he said at the time he hoped to have it opened in April.

Stevenson also told Laura Monteros of the Altadena Examiner the day before the contract was approved that he had made the request almost two years ago.

District officials appeared to acknowledge in the staff report that the process had taken far too long, where they write that the council had received "no response or determination from the District" despite making the request 18 months ago.

The PUSD board finally approved the facility contract on June 28, and the facility will be provided without charge to Art Council for the first year.  The staff report also notes that use fees could be waived in future years as well.

All that remains now is for the district and the Council to sign a memorandum-of-understanding, Stevenson said.

In the mean time, Stevenson will be meeting with his board to discuss staffing options and other ideas.  The plan is to have one full-time employee, as well as some volunteers and interns, he said.

The Arts Council had initially asked for space on the former Edison Elementary School campus, an location that a few Patch readers took issue with in comments on our .