Crossroads celebrates 60 years in 2023

Jan. 25—Sixty years of art.

That's six decades of community members learning how to dance, or how to paint, or how to sculpt a bowl from a lump of clay.

Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in Baker City is celebrating its 60th year in 2023 with a variety of special events and a new approach to classes that will, the staff hope, entice more participation.

Celebrating 60 years

A staple for Crossroads is First Friday, when a new show opens at the center, 2020 Auburn Ave., with a featured artist on the first Friday of each month.

This year, each event will feature something extra, said Alyson Spiering, community art director.

"With each First Friday, we're able to do something special,"

she said.

For the reception on Feb. 3, Lonnie Shurtleff — known as The Eclectic Cowboy — will provide live music.

Looking ahead, April's open show will celebrate the 60th anniversary with submissions that relate to 60, or a six and zero, or

the 1960s.

"That will be fun," Spiering said.

'Pay what you can'

Classes offered at Crossroads cover a full range of artistic pursuits — ballet, painting, glass etching, tie dye, repurposing, photography, pottery and more.

And this summer, Missoula Children's Theatre returns in June and August to put on performances featuring local child actors.

"We'll have two productions that we've never had before," Karen Owens, education coordinator, said of MCT.

Shows are "The Princess and the Pea" on June 12-17 and "Cinderella" on Aug. 14-19.

Registration is now open online at crossroads-arts.org/products/kids.

Ginger Savage, executive director, said classes have struggled with small enrollment for a while, and Crossroads is taking several steps to address this trend.

First, Owens is calling everyone who signed up for a class right before it begins so they remember to attend.

And, starting with the spring class schedule in late February, the registration fee will be "pay what you can."

"Crossroads staff and board recognize that something happened and we faced a marked decrease in attendance in our classes and the use of the scholarship fund, beyond COVID impacts," Savage said. "As we move into our 60th year we had to do something bold to increase engagement."

This "pay what you can" model will continue through 2023 for youth and adults. Here's how it will work:

—Choose a class.

—Choose a pay option — full tuition, half tuition or any amount you can afford. There is no need to fill out a scholarship form.

"For those students who long to participate in the arts but can't afford too, this option is available to allow you to access the arts at a level you can afford," Savage said.

The full cost will be listed to show the value of the class, Savage said.

"Our teachers work very hard, and are paid," she said.

This new model is supported by the Marie Lanform and Bloomfield Foundations.

"Crossroads' goal at the end of 2023 is to see what happens," Savage said. "Our hope is that all our classes will be filled with eager and excited students. By filling the classes we currently offer, we can offer more classes and recruit new teachers."

If this new approach increases enrollment, Savage said the center will utilize the Hand to Heart Scholarship Fund to continue the "pay what you can" model.

Also, Owens is looking to add additional classes and teachers. She has received requests for classes in sewing, crochet, knitting, dance and movement for young children, stained glass, felt making, adult woodworking, picture framing and matting, and dance lessons, such as western dance.

For more information about teaching a class, contact Owens at Crossroads, 541-523-5369.

Memberships

Crossroads continues to offer various levels of memberships, which include discounts on classes and purchases while supporting the center's operations.

For 2023, the center is offering a special student membership for $3 — the membership price in 1963.

To secure the $3 student membership, visit the art center. Due to a website restriction, online transactions must be $5 or more — if completed this way, Savage said the membership will still be $3, but the extra $2 will be donated to the scholarship fund.

Other membership levels are:

—Individual: $36

—Family: $60

—Senior: $24

To sign up online, go to crossroads-arts.org/products/Memberships.

Other plans

To celebrate the anniversary, Kathleen Chaves is working on a project called "Humans of Crossroads."

"Our goal is to collect at least 60 stories for the 60 years — anybody who has a story they'd like to tell about how Crossroads affects their community, their kids and their lives," Savage said.

Also, the center is ramping up engagement by joining community events throughout the year, such as having a booth at the Baker City Farmers Market once a month, and several special crafting events for children.

Volunteers are welcome and needed, Savage said. For more information, stop by the center or call 541-523-5369.

Looking to 2024

Although more than a year away, plans are already in the works for a special retrospective show featuring the work of Gary Ernest Smith, a widely known landscape artist with roots in Baker County.

The show, titled "Towards Home: The People, Places and culture of Eastern Oregon," will open Memorial Day weekend of 2024, and be on display through July 2024.

The show will feature a series of paintings and pencil sketches from the last six decades of his professional career.

Smith painted the iconic image for the poster of the opening of the National Oregon Trail Interpretive Center at Flagstaff Hill in 1992. The original is in the permanent collection of the Booth Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.

The Smith show will coincide with the reopening of the Interpretive Center after an extensive closure for renovations to make the building more energy efficient.

"Crossroads is thrilled and honored to be entrusted with Gary Ernest Smith's last major show," Savage said.