Back in the saddle

(Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from an episode of the Gunnison Country Times podcast, Think Radio. It has been edited for length and clarity.)

Alysa VandenHeuvel has been named as the executive director of the Gunnison Arts Center. While she is new to that role, she has nearly a decade of experience as an employee of GAC in a variety of positions. This conversation explored her personal background as a performing and visual artist and her vision for the future of community arts in Gunnison.

How does it feel to be back at GAC?

It feels really good, almost like home, like I never left. But a lot has changed, so it's really good to be back.

Why now?

Well, I took a hiatus for a little while, and was a barista at a few local coffee joints in town, which I also love. It's my second passion. And then a few of my customers were current GAC board members. We would chat about the art center here and there. I loved hearing about everything that was going on as far as construction goes. And then one day, I had a past team worker of mine reach out to me and say that they were looking for a new executive director, and they thought I would be perfect for that. And then a few other board members reached out and it was really a good feeling to know that I was still at the forefront of their minds as a candidate to be a leader at the organization.

Where do you come from?

I'm Colorado born and raised. I moved out here in 2003 to go to Western. I was an art student, and I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography and a minor in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. Probably my creative side came out in the marketing side of the business. I also have a heavy background in dance. I started dancing when I was 2 years old and I was classically trained in ballet. I went up to point and realized that might not be the avenue I wanted to continue going in. And so I found modern dance and creative world dance. I was lucky enough in high school to be part of the International Baccalaureate School of Dance … But coming out to Gunnison, I realized there really was no dance program at the university. Then I found out that there was a thriving adult school of dance at the Gunnison Art Center. 

What are your thoughts about the importance of having an art center or some outlet for arts in a community?

I really believe the arts are essential to the health and vitality of a small, rural mountain town, particularly one with a strong recreation culture. In such communities, the arts provide balance and depth to a lifestyle that can otherwise be heavily centered around outdoor activities. Having a strong arts center really builds community and connection and reduces that isolation in a rural setting, especially in the dead of winter. It really offers locals a sense of stability and belonging to a small community.

What’s the status of the recent renovation project?

The building that we're housed in is 142 years old. The building was built in 1882 and not much preservation has ever been done to it. A lot of this capital campaign was to preserve that historical building. When construction got underway on the main gallery and the Black Box theater, under that flooring a lot of the subfloor was essentially floating on nothing or broken. Like any construction project, you get in there and see the nitty gritty … Now we face a hurdle of finding funding to complete this project after the fact … We need about $180,000 to $200,000.

Speaking of fundraising, the annual gala is coming up.

Yeah, we're really excited to kick off the holiday season with our annual gala. This year's theme is “The Great Gatsby.” We're going back 100 years or so. We'll have a speakeasy bar and live artists to get your portrait painted, and old school photography, and have some great musicians … We’ll have a great selection of silent and live auction items. It’s always a lot of fun.

Scan the QR code below to listen to the rest of the conversation on Think Radio. You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or at gunnisontimes.com.

(Alan Wartes can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or publisher@gunnisontimes.com.)