Centrum: Washington's home for arts and education.

What A Night Of Spark!

On October 16, 237 guests came to Fort Worden State Park in festive evening attire for The 2010 Centrum Gala Dinner and Auction. Guests basked in the copper glow of the transformed Commons, savoring the excitement of bidding in live and silent auctions of experiences and treasured items.

They savored delicious AND gorgeous appetizers from chefs for Bon Appetit, Dream City Catering, The Public House, and Silverwater Café, followed by a succulent repast of local autumnal cuisine, selected and prepared by Bon Appetit Executive Chef Jay Payne.

Auctioneer Kevin Benedict conducted a fast and highly entertaining live auction, which was punctuated by a moving performance by singer and Jazz Port Townsend scholarship recipient Stina Hultin, who flew in from Wisconsin for the privilege (as she described it) of helping Centrum’s Fund-A-Dream raise scholarship funds.

And you responded.

The proceeds from The Centrum Galafundraiser support arts and education programs and workshops and provide scholarships to deserving students of all ages and backgrounds. Last year the Gala grossed $165,000. All of us at Centrum hoped that this year’s Gala would raise as much. It did better—it grossed $180,000,  a 9% increase over last year!

“Gratitude takes three forms: a feeling in the heart, an expression in words and giving in return.” Centrum extends a heartfelt thank you to all who made the Gala a profound experience and fundraising success.

Your SPARK! ignites the passion that changes lives.

2009 Volunteer “Job Fair” June 16th

Centrum’s 2009 “Volunteers’ Job Fair” will be at 4pm on Tuesday June 16th at the McCurdy Pavilion.  This event is in place of the Volunteer Orientation of previous years.

There will be handouts that more completely describe each volunteer assignment, so those of you who are new or might be considering trying something new will be able to pick up more information. We’ll get to look at the empty venue and talk about safety and emergency procedures. We’ll also introduce a special project that Leah Hammer and I think will be fun… and we’ll be asking for your input and participation.

For those of you who signed up to work with ACCESS Services, this will be an opportunity to take a look at the Pavilion set up and learn about our new  “ACCESS Team Discretionary Seating” procedure. This procedure was implemented last season under the guidance of Lois Frisch, Trudy Rosenberg and Sue Cook. It’s a simple way to give the ACCESS Team the ability to operate seamlessly during events.

It will be a nice way for us to informally gather and kick off the new and exciting summer of Centrum Programs.

Like the Orientation meeting of previous years, this is not a mandatory event. Some of you have already responded that you are unable to attend, which is of course understandable. But for those of you who can spare an hour or two, it would be great to have you come down.

We’ll also be taking a look at the big tent that production will set up for us, and you can chime in on this idea: Volunteer Appreciation Barbecue/Party – a daytime weekend event (first or second weekend in October?) held on the green next to the Pavilion. Centrum will set up the big tent, tables and chairs, and host a grill party.

I’ll have a “ballot box” on hand so you can express yourself!

Can you help us in July?

We've just completed a few summer events, and we are simply in awe of the skill and dedication of our volunteers. Centrum is fortunate to have you as part of the Centrum family.

As we move into the heart of the summer, we need to ask for your help. We have a few critical jobs that we need assistance with. Please look at your schedules and let us know if you can assist us with any of the following projects:

1 - SPECIAL PROJECT - FACULTY AND PERFORMER FRUIT BASKETS
On Saturday July 19th and/or Sunday July 20th we need a few people to put together 38 fruit baskets and deliver them to the faculty and staff of Jazz Port Townsend. The space and materials needed to assemble the baskets will be here at the Centrum office. This is a great way of welcoming the faculty and staff to our community.

2 - FREE FRIDAYS AT THE FORT
Beginning on July 11th (and ending August 8), "Free Fridays at the Fort" will kick off on the lawn in front of the Fort Worden Commons. One or two volunteers can help us welcome people to these events, help out with the Centrum information and Merchandise display, and just generally be the great ambassadors of Centrum that you always are. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Centrum office by 11:00 am the day of the event.

3 - "JAZZ BLOWOUT" (PUBLIC EVENTS ON THE FRIDAY OF JAZZ)
John Clayton has curated a series of public events on Friday for which we need host support. These events will showcase incredible jazz artists discussing and demonstrating their instrument, their technique, their tradition. These are not performances, but an insider's look at the workings of jazz, held in a workshop setting.

As a host, you will welcome ticket holders, work independently, be able to get around easily, and be able to help others who may need assistance getting around. You will also provide Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) as needed (we'll show you how).

These public events run from 9am to 12n, and from 1pm to 4pm.

If you can help with any of these events in July, please call our volunteer coordinator Lisa Werner at 385-3102 x128 or via email at lisa at centrumdot org.

Exhibits, Readings, Music, and More

Each year the Centrum Creative Residency Program is host to dozens of artists and creative thinkers from around the country and around the world. The list from 2008 includes a composer from Denmark, art educators from Seattle, an Illinois poet, visual artists from Pittsburgh, a theater actor from New York, and many more. They come here to immerse themselves in the beauty and inspiration of this place.

Some of them would like to share their work, read their poems, and play their music for the public. Facilitating these small events means helping in many different ways, from preparing receptions to hosting readings or assisting in the set up and removal of an exhibit. If you have some experience with exhibits or readings and are interested in working with visiting artists, I'd love to hear from you. Please drop a line to lisa@centrum.org or call 385-3102 x128.

Beautify Centrum's Front Door

Summer is coming to Port Townsend, bringing hundreds of people to Centrum's front porch. Let's paint! And plant some flowers, and clean the chairs, and hang a new bulletin board, and... well you get the idea.

Please join us by signing up to be part of the "Spruce up the Porch" party, tentatively scheduled for the weekend of May 31st-June 1st, weather permitting. You can email your rsvp to lisa@centrum.org, or call it in at 385-3102 x128.

Volunteer Handbook

Here's the handy reference book for Centrum volunteers. You'll be given a copy, but you may also read it online or print your own if you wish.

Volunteer Training Recap

Thank you to all those who helped make last night's (April 24) volunteer meeting something truly special. In 2006, more volunteers, donors, workshop attendess, and audience members came to Centrum for life-changing experiences than ever before in the history of the 35-year-old history of the organization. And if last night is any indication, 2007 will raise the bar even higher.

Kicking off the volunteer seminer, Sally Rodgers presented an orientation for new volunteers in the southern wing of Building 204. Afterward, Centrum's newest volunteers joined with returning volunteers in the northern wing to sample fruit and cheese and crackers, while enjoying wine. Then, Sue Ammeter, Daniel Barnes, and John Allen gave presentations on how best to assist Centrum audience members who are living with visual, physical, or hearing disabilities. We are so grateful to all of our presenters and the volunteers who donate their time, energies, and skills to making the extraordinary, life-changing artistic events possible at Centrum.

The number of volunteers grew from 282 in 2005 to 335 in 2006 as community members gave a total of 7,900 volunteer hours in remodeling  artist housing, taking tickets at performances, stuffing envelopes, registering workshop participants, and fundraising. "That's a 23% increase in volunteer hours," said volunteer coordinator Sally Rodgers, "and it's interesting how closely that growth corresponds to the overall increase in Centrum revenues.

"I am in awe of this community's generosity," says Centrum's executive director, Thatcher Bailey. "There is no arts institution in the Pacific Northwest blessed with anywhere near this same relative level of support."

                                                                                                                     

Annual Volunteer Training Meeting

Centrum's annual volunteer training meeting is slated for Tuesday, April 24, at 4 pm. Experienced volunteers, please plan to arrive at 4:30. The meeting takes place upstairs in Building 204, and refreshments will be served. RSVP Sally Rodgers at sally@centrum.org, 360-385-3102 x128. Hope to see you there!

2006 Donor & Volunteer Listing

In our most recent issue of Experience, Centrum's magazine for the creative life, we listed our donors and volunteers from the past year. Follow this link to view the list, and thanks to all of you who joined us in making 2006 one of our best years ever!

Be a Centrum Volunteer

Thank you for volunteering! Volunteers are at the very heart of Centrum. Without your generous support the extraordinary concerts, readings, and special performances that take place at Fort Worden State Park every year simply do not happen. Centrum thrives because of you. You make Centrum possible.

Centrum, in partnership with Fort Worden State Park, is a gathering place for artists and creative thinkers from around the world, for students of all ages and backgrounds, and for audiences seeking extraordinary cultural achievement. Centrum and Fort Worden State park provide a haven for people to perform, learn, teach, and connect, and then return to the world renewed, perhaps even transformed, by the experience of their time here. Annually, Centrum brings about 27,000 people to the park for year-round workshops, performances, residencies, and cultural enjoyment.

While most of Centrum’s programming is intergenerational, there is also a series of residential learning experiences that serve youth only. About one-third of Centrum workshop participants are 18 years old or younger. We are dramatically increasing scholarship funds available for youth with the goal of being able to serve and learn from the broadest possible spectrum of aspiring young artists and creative thinkers.

And at the core of the Centrum community are more than one thousand individual donors and volunteers who demonstrate through their generosity a profound belief in the power of creativity. On behalf of all of us,

Welcome! At Centrum, you make transformational, life-changing experiences in the arts possible.
To see all the ways you can help, click here and sign up today!