The Greensboro Cultural Center Is a Hub of Creative Activity
culture, greensboro cultural center, united arts council,
Mornings at the Greensboro Cultural Center are usually quiet, but in the afternoon, the sprawling 125,000-square-foot complex becomes a hub of activity, says Jeanie Duncan, president and CEO of the United Arts Council.
Along with the United Arts Council, 15 arts organizations occupy the city-owned cultural center, bringing together disciplines such as dance, theater, film, music and the visual arts.
Local schoolchildren and adults descend on the facility every day to take part in music or dance lessons, play rehearsals, pottery classes and a host of other interesting, arts-related activities, Duncan says.
“Our space here is a prime gathering space for everyone in our community, from all ages and backgrounds, to celebrate culture,” Duncan says. “The organizations at the center are very diverse, and the nature of the organizations being in one place builds a natural synergy among them.”
Groups such as the Guilford Native American Art Gallery, the Eastern Music Festival, the Greensboro Ballet and City Arts – the arts education division of the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department – share space in the building.
All organizations pay only $1 a year in rent – an initiative that clearly supports arts in the community.
“This in-kind, annual investment along with the City Arts division are both critically important investments in the arts,” Duncan says. “I think that’s a reflection of our city’s understanding that the arts are a powerful and important force in developing our overall quality of life and being a contributor to growing a stronger economy.”
Story by Emily Lansdell
Photo by Staff
