With deep regret the board of directors of the Shenandoah Arts Center Foundation (SACF) announces that it is suspending efforts to raise funds to build an arts center in Shenandoah County.  The Foundation was formed three years ago to build support for converting the old Edinburg School into an arts center.

The ShenTel Foundation pledged $500,000 to the project and the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors pledged another $1.5 million contingent upon the foundation raising $1,000,000 by August 2008.  As of April 30, the group had received $300,000 in cash donations and pledges.   

After much deliberation, members of the board agreed that raising $700,000 before the deadline was not feasible and voted to end its fundraising efforts and begin the task of returning gifts to those who have supported the project.  Donors will be given the opportunity to receive a refund of their contribution, minus a small percentage for administrative costs, or select another local non-profit arts organization to receive the gift.

In 2002, early in the Arts Center campaign formation stages, the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors and the Property & Public Works Committee (formerly the Facilities Committee) agreed to form the CACAC (Cultural Arts Citizens Advisory Committee) to review the possible formation of a county arts center.

In August 2005, the Board of Supervisors held a public hearing where 150 residents attended and many spoke in support of the project. They welcomed the concept of a center to showcase the rich talent in Shenandoah County.  At that time, the Board of Supervisors agreed to support the center with their financial pledge.  The SACF then was created with the mission of soliciting gifts to fund the renovation of the old Edinburg School as an Arts Center.  The plan was to include studios, classrooms, exhibit space and a state-of-the art auditorium, while still accommodating most of the groups now using the building. The auditorium was the critical centerpiece of the plan, as there currently is no public auditorium in all of Shenandoah County.

The SACF board members believe that their efforts did not succeed for a variety of reasons including the current economic downturn that is affecting individuals and businesses alike, the differing perceptions of what “art” is and how it would serve the community, and many competing campaigns for institutions such as the library and the hospital, for which the need is more obvious to the general public.

All on the board hope that the time will come for the center, sometime in the near future, so that music, dance, theater, the visual arts, and educational and historical presentations can have a home in our community.

The foundation began contacting all traceable donors during the summer of 2008, up until August 15, 2008, to arrange for the return of their gifts or the transfer to another arts non-profit.  For more information about the returned contribution process, click here . For more information, call 540-984-2020.  You may also contact Pam Sheets, Shenandoah County Parks and Recreation, 540-984-3030, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 For a copy of a letter sent out to all previous contributors on record, click here .  For a copy of the  Re-designation Form for Gift to Shenandoah Arts Center Foundation, click here .