Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Reopening Of New Hope Arts Center

NEW HOPE, PA — A ribbon cutting and a special fundraising evening helped christen the newly-renovated New Hope Arts Center on Tuesday at Bridge Street and Stockton Avenue.

Since January, the landmark stone building has been transformed into a fully-accessible space with the addition of an entrance ramp and elevator. The improvements also included a new lobby and a new staircase leading to the second-floor gallery, the home of the center’s signature art exhibitions.

“All the stonework has been pointed both inside and out. And the lobby is open and airy. We put in a ramp on the canal side so we’re ADA-compliant. We put in three new bathrooms that are ADA-compliant. And the list goes on,” said Mayor Laurence Keller, a board member with New Hope Arts.

The mayor joined the leaders of New Hope Arts, project benefactors, the building's architect, and contractors in cutting the ribbon on the newly-improved space.

The seeds of the project were planted 18 months ago when New Hope Arts received a state grant for $116,000 from State Senator Steve Santarsiero, said Keller.

(Photos by Jeff Werner)

“Once we knew we were getting the grant our board got together with board member and architect Ralph Fey and began putting together a wish list of what we would need to accommodate an elevator and what other changes would be needed to make the building fully accessible," said Keller. "Once we did that we realized we needed a lot of money.”

The center kicked off “a very ambitious campaign,” which it dubbed “Elevate the Arts,” to raise the $1.25 million needed for the project. “We thought it was insurmountable. Fortunately, we had someone show up who was the springboard to get us started,” said Keller.

Stephen and Pamela Can stepped forward with a fundraising challenge, offering to match dollar-for-dollar donations up to $250,000.

“The reason Pam and I were interested in this is because it wasn’t transitional, but transformational,” said Stephen. “This building and the events we’re going to have here are going to be quite enhanced. A big shout out to Glen Stephans and all the people who worked on this. They
worked hard. This is their home. They are proud of what they have done. They are great craftsmen and you have to congratulate them on doing such a great job.”

Pam also gave a shout out to founding director Robin Larsen who died in 2009. “She had a vision and she had a campaign called ‘Imagine.’ And today we have the fruition of her vision, which has gone through many cycles over the years. This is a real tribute to her inspiration.”

“I feel Robin would be very proud of us,” added architect and board member Ralph Fey. “This was a barn when it was first built and the building beside it was a stable. It has had many iterations and the building was in great disrepair when New Hope Arts bought it. And our vision 20 years ago was what it is today.

"We exposed the stone," added Fey. "We brought back the grandeur. We honored the past. It is still a historic building and has a new life. We are giving the artists a much nicer, respectful platform because we are now fully accessible.”

Don Stephan, the father of Glen and Russ Stephan, was given the honor of taking the inaugural ride in the building's new elevator.

Brothers Glen and Russ, both familiar faces in the New Hope community, own and operate Stephan Design and Construction, which was the contractor on the project.

“It was a challenging job - lots of stone - 60 tons to get out of there," said Glen, who owns the company. "Dumpsters. You can just imagine how many. Just open these doors up, the way it is it’s just amazing, especially at night when it just glows inside. I’m proud to be part of it and the community.”

Thanks to the Cans and to those who made donations, the "Elevate the Arts" campaign was a success, said Keller.

“I’m thrilled about that, but we’re not done,” the mayor continued. “We still have a roof and the brick building on the southeast corner will need work. We have other projects in our broader wish list that we just couldn’t accomplish. So we’re going to extend (the campaign) and we’re going to shoot now for getting another half million by the end of this year.”

The Arts Center will be using the grand reopening celebration to kick off its second fundraising campaign as it moves “Beyond the Blueprint” to embrace the future.

Donors and benefactors gathered on Tuesday evening to enjoy the new space and to begin the next phase of the fundraising campaign.

The celebration continues with a members-only reception on June 10 and the official public opening on June 16.

"Reopening these doors is certainly a dream come true," said Carol Cruickshanks, New Hope Arts Executive Director. "Amongst all the dust and debris, we've witnessed a beautiful ‘unearthing’ as our builders have skillfully restored and updated the building, accenting the original beauty and integrity that has been sadly concealed for decades. As we prepare for this new mark in our history, we couldn't be more perfectly situated for deeper artistic inspiration and future programming for our patrons, artists, donors, and community. We're wholeheartedly overjoyed to celebrate and share this building with everyone.”

A virtual exhibition, "Artists Elevate the Arts," is on view at www.newhopearts.org through June 15. It features artwork in all media contributed by member artists who have collectively had a remarkable variety of pieces in the New Hope Arts gallery over its 20-year history. The art is available for sale with a portion of all sales benefiting New Hope Art's new and expanded programs and offerings.

Click here to view the virtual exhibit.