FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!
July 3, 2006
Contact: Bente Torjusen, 603-448-3117
AVA Gallery and Art Center
Receives a $300,000 Timken Foundation Grant
AVA Gallery and Art Center has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Timken Foundation in support of the organization’s capital campaign for the upcoming building renovation project of its Eleven Bank Street building in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
This Lebanon landmark, the former H. W. Carter Overall Factory, was acquired by AVA (Alliance for the Visual Arts) in September 2003. With its ample spaces, high ceilings, and abundant natural light, the building is uniquely suited to accommodate AVA’s vibrant art offerings. Yet at the same time, the 120 year-old post and beam structure needs significant work to be code compliant, energy efficient, structurally sound, and to better meet AVA’s and the community’s future needs. In order to address these issues AVA’s board and staff have been working closely with Banwell Architects and Trumbull-Nelson Construction Company for the past two years to develop a plan that deals with the most urgent needs of the building and of AVA.
The building will retain its basic, “raw” feeling, and the second and third floors – dedicated primarily to AVA’s teaching studios and the studios of individual artists – will remain much the same. The first floor will, however, see considerable change. Exhibition areas will be increased to comprise four gallery spaces, and the children’s program will have its own dedicated studio, with separate egress, on the first floor. These improvements to this venerable old building will enable AVA to continue to grow and flourish in the years to come, allowing the organization to be a resource dedicated to making the arts accessible to all ages and abilities and to serving specific needs of the communities of the Upper Valley.
The project is scheduled to begin in the middle of September 2006 and to be completed by June 2007. The building renovation plans have been accompanied by a capital campaign endeavor with a $4.2 million dollar goal, with contributions being sought from individuals, corporations, private foundations and public grant agencies, as well as by fundraising events to which artists have donated their work. The significant grant award from the Timken Foundation brings AVA’s capital campaign two-thirds of the way to its goal.
“We are completely thrilled and greatly honored by this important award, “ says Bente Torjusen, AVA’s Executive Director, adding that the main purpose of the Timken Foundation is to promote civic betterment by capital fund grants. The Foundation, established in 1934 and located in Canton, Ohio, disburses grants both nationally and internationally and gives primarily to organizations located in areas where the Timken Company has domestic operations. Grant requests must be accompanied by recommendations from local management, and preferred projects must demonstrate support from a variety of other sources and have a visible impact on the community. Says J. Ron Menning, Vice President of the Timken Company in Lebanon, “AVA’s building renovation project with the positive impact it will have on our community was the perfect match for our Foundation. This grant comes with enthusiastic endorsement from local Timken employees, who met with AVA staff, toured the building, and learned about its history, the ongoing art programming, and plans for the future.” “In addition,” Mr. Menning says, “the combination of restoring a significant landmark and the emphasis on the arts makes this truly a treasure in our community.”
For further information opportunities and programs offered through AVA Gallery and Art Center and about the building renovation and its accompanying capital campaign, please call 604-448-3117, or visit AVA’s web page: www.avagallery.org.
AVA Gallery and Art Center/Alliance for the Visual Arts is a non-profit organization representing Vermont and New Hampshire artists. Located at 11 Bank Street right off Colburn Park in Lebanon, NH, the gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11Am to 5PM and by appointment; closed on Sundays and Monday.
Admission is free, and the gallery is accessible to the handicapped.
AVA is supported in part by grants from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
