History of the Clark Center
More
than 30 years ago, Cliff and Mary-Lee Clark were at a musical program
at the Arroyo Grande High School gymnasium when they were struck with
the idea for the Clark Center. After sitting and sweating through the
event in the stuffy gym, the Clarks vowed to raise money to build a
more professional auditorium. A group of dedicated community leaders,
arts patrons and parents soon came together in order to raise the money
to build a high-quality facility to serve children, local artists and
community service groups.
In
1986, The South County Performing Arts Building Foundation was
established and began a unique partnership with the Lucia Mar Unified
School District in order to create a joint-use community and school
facility on the site of the Arroyo Grande High School Campus. The
Foundation agreed to establish an Endowment fund to help with the
maintenance of the facility and to fund capital improvements. In turn,
the school district pledged to supervise building efforts and maintain
the facility for 99 years — provided that students got first dibs on
the new space. The Clark Center Association was later formed to
sponsor professional entertainment, publicize and market the facility
and provide all "front-of-house" services, including the Box Office,
ushers, concessions and parking).
In
1999, construction began and was funded with the $9 million the
Foundation raised through gifts from private citizens and supplemented
by generous grants from the State of California, San Luis Obispo
County, and the cities of Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, and Grover
Beach.
The Grand Opening of the Clark Center for the Performing Arts was held on May 10th, 2002.
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