Gunnison Arts Center

The Gunnison Arts Center is Gunnison’s primary venue for bringing the Arts into your life. Whether you are enjoying downtown Gunnison during an ArtWalk, creating with clay in a pottery class, sipping a glass of wine while painting with watercolors, or showcasing your acting skills in our theater, you are sure to find creative avenues to enrich your mind and spirit. We invite you to discover your inner artist, and be a part of the extraordinary evolution of the Arts happening in the Gunnison Valley!

VISION

As a vibrant and sustainable community-based arts organization, the Gunnison Arts Center contributes to the wholeness of our community by cultivating participation in the arts through an inclusive, integrated, and creative approach to the arts.
Creating opportunities for people to engage in the arts and with each other

MISSION

The Gunnison Arts Center serves as a hub for cultivating and promoting the arts in the community by unleashing creativity, connecting people, and enriching cultural horizons.

History

The Gunnison Council for the Arts, an all-volunteer organization, was started in 1983 by a handful of individuals in the back room of a local restaurant. Most of these individuals had been active in Webster Players, a local theatre group, which could not find suitable performing venues. At the same time, the local dance instructor was outgrowing the space for her classes. In January 1984, the group was incorporated as the Gunnison Council for the Arts and a membership drive was held in 1986 during which 75 members were recruited. In May 1988, the Council leased one of the community’s oldest buildings from First National Bank of Gunnison to house most of the council’s activities, including an art gallery, a 72-seat theatre for drama and music, special exhibits and a variety of classes. The building was built in 1882 as the Denver & Rio Grand Railway Express depot and European Hotel. Through the years, the building housed the Gunnison Hardware Company, a clothing store and a bar/restaurant. The building is now listed on the State Register of Historic Properties and was purchased in 1992 by the Council through the generous support of Gunnison citizens, private foundations and other philanthropists. After an extensive architectural review and planning process, a six-phase renovation project commenced in the fall of 1996 with the renovations being completed in the fall of 2000. Since that time, the programming at the Gunnison Arts Center (“GAC”) has grown to include year-round programming for children and adults alike.