Breaking Ground on a New Cultural Icon

May 27, 2016

Introducing the Great Lakes Center for the Arts

In 1994, construction began at a former cement factory south of Petoskey for what would become Bay Harbor — the lakeside enclave boasting a boutique hotel and spa, marina, golf club, equestrian center, shopping district and village of homes.

Five years later, a community cultural plan for Emmet and Charlevoix counties noted both the need for cultural activities and the absence of a suitable venue for year-round programming. It suggested Bay Harbor, a relatively central point, as a possible location.

On July 2, the flourishing Bay Harbor resort community is putting that plan into action. It’s breaking ground on the next jewel in its community’s crown, the Great Lakes Center for the Arts, featuring a 500-seat auditorium.

Although the GLCA’s year-round performance schedule won’t begin until 2018, the groundbreaking event — scheduled at 5pm and open to the public — will serve as the official kickoff to the performance schedule, with Bay View’s Spectrum Brass and the young artist vocal program Up North Vocal Institute providing entertainment.

Jill O’Neill, executive director for the center, said collaborations with other venues, cultural organizations, and educational institutions will be a key component of the GLCA, and she already has initiated conversations with other arts institutions in northern Michigan and throughout the state.

Carlin Smith, president of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he believes the new facility will draw more visitors and enlarge audiences, rather than hurting other groups or venues. “I don’t worry about this taking away the audience or money from others. I think there’s enough to go around,” he said.

Michael Kaiser, president emeritus of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., serves as the GLCA’s lead consultant and brings an impressive resume; he’s worked with the Royal Opera House in London, American Ballet Theatre, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. O’Neill said Kaiser’s experience and vision extend from construction to programming. “He is able to know not only how to construct a technically suitable venue, but how to build a professionally run organization that is both financially sustainable and presents exciting, inspirational experiences to audiences,” she said.

Maris Harrington is the director of development at the center. She said the $25 million capital campaign for construction has already surpassed $20 million. Plans call for an additional $25 million endowment. “It is so exciting and energizing,” she said of the donors’ enthusiasm.

She said while it was anticipated that Bay Harbor residents and businesses would see the value in the center and would hopefully contribute accordingly, donors have come from all around the area. “What has been so exciting is the growth of support in the region. Charlevoix, Walloon Lake, Harbor Springs, Petoskey — it just continues to grow,” Harrington said.

Smith said he sees the project as a boost for both the arts and the economy. “I think this has the potential to enrich the community. It adds another reason to come here,” he said.

He also sees it as a bridge from Bay Harbor to the larger region beyond. “I think the performing arts center will open up Bay Harbor to people who haven’t experienced it before,” he said.

At 500 seats, the GLCA will offer more than twice as many seats as the auditorium at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey. As a comparison, Interlochen Center for the Arts’ Corson Auditorium seats 952, while its Kresge Auditorium seats 3,929. Bay View’s John M. Hall Auditorium can accommodate 1,374 people, while school auditoriums in Petoskey (585) and Boyne City (620) also have a larger capacity.

O’Neill and Harrington said its size was determined based on what several feasibility studies determined was a reasonable capacity for a year-round venue, neither too large nor too small. They also said school facilities are set up primarily to accommodate student performances, and the long lead time needed when booking outside performers and the artists’ touring schedules can conflict with the priorities for schools. During the summer, when the population swells, and ticket sales could be double or triple its capacity, they said the GLCA will look to accommodate potentially larger audiences by booking performers for multiple nights.

Plans call for a variety of programming, including musical theater, chamber and symphonic ensembles, pop, jazz and country music, opera, dance, and standup comedy. Other events will include film showings; digital broadcasts of live performances; lectures and symposia featuring speakers on politics, the economy, and the arts; and festivals and events including a best of Michigan weekend series, a country music festival, a jazz festival and international gatherings celebrating arts from around the world.

O’Neill said offerings will also include an education program connecting the artists performing at the center with the students from throughout the region.