We are so grateful to our local legislators for sponsoring a funding request for our visionary project: "Creating an Arts Center for the Treasure Coast at the historic Stuart High School." A contribution of $250,000 in the budget which has been passed to the Governor's office by the legislature for approval. So we are waiting, with fingers crossed, for the final outcome but offer our thanks to both Senator Harrell and Representative Snyder for their support.
The art center will...
- Increase access: MartinArts is working with the Boys & Girls Club as well as Stuart Middle School on a plan to enrich underserved students with arts education programs.
- Increase tax base: in today’s climate, people choose where they want to live, and then find jobs. Arts and culture are one of the top amenities in a community, for both visitors and residents.
- Downtown expansion: Stuart High School will be the new “east end” anchor for Stuart, allowingadditional shops, restaurants, galleries, and more to expand outward from downtown.
- Business growth: small organizations and individual artists will have access to space that isequipped for creating and sharing their art in an efficient, financially viable way.
- Historic preservation: Stuart has lost many of its historic structures during the last century. This project preserves one of the few remaining examples of old Florida architecture in Martin County.
- Enrich learning: the arts have long been identified with greater academic success, as well as executive-level skills such as creativity and interpersonal skills.