Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need your help?

Yes, we need it.  We need it if what you have to offer is passing out information about our fundraisers or workshops.  We need people to talk to their bosses or coworkers and go in together to make a company contribution.  Most importantly, we need 'Angels' to be our Founding Donors.  We will proportionately honor Founding Donor contributions of $100 and over on a permanent artist designed wall.  We need Pagosa Springs to build the Center for the Arts with us.  This is your opportunity to be part of one of the biggest collaborative efforts that will have one of the most direct and lasting impacts our community has ever seen.  Secure a place for yourself or honor your loved one on the Founding Donor Wall.

What if every person who joined us for the open house and joyously celebrated the idea of a Center for the Arts in Pagosa Springs gave $100?  We would have $40,000 to pay for construction materials, but more importantly we would have evidence of a community effort that we need to apply for hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money that is only available to organizations that are able to rally community support.  In January alone, there is over  $713,000 in grant dollars that we are eligible to apply for, if we have confirmation of community support.  We have already raised $24,500, as well as the in-kind contributions of a professional designer worth $25,000 and the Rohrbacher LLC is paying all the bills on the property while the construction is underway.  These funds were raised in the span of one month and come from only three separate parties.  Just imagine what we could do if we asked more than three organizations to help!  We have already received pledges of over $55,000 and the out-of-state interest in the project is growing.

Why should the business community support the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts?

The answer is simple: it will improve the bottom line of all other businesses in Archuleta County.  Business owners and workers in our town know that the competition for tourist traffic and real estate sales in Colorado Mountain towns is fierce.  The majority of destination towns in Colorado have been and continue to invest heavily in cultural facilities in their areas.  Just like you invest in your business to keep it competitive, we need to invest in improved cultural facilities to make Pagosa Springs a destination of choice in Colorado.

The Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts will market our town and bring people to Pagosa Springs year around.  It will bring people who will eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, visit our art galleries, stay in our lodging and make real estate purchases.  Art supporters statistically tend to spend more money on lodging, dining and shopping than other visitors.  Furthermore, art supporters are more likely to own second homes and they desire to be in communities with top quality cultural facilities.  Most studies show that art supporters tend to spend twice as much as average visitors regardless of where they are visiting.  In Denver, the investment in the arts generates a rate of return to their economy equal to 14:1.  If we come even remotely close to that rate of return, it's an investment that makes sense.

Please visit our website, talk to current supporters and educate yourself on this great opportunity to improve our local economy.  We are confident that once you do your research, you will see how important it is to join us in making this project happen.

What type of programming might we expect in the Center for the Arts?

Everything from band concerts to dance recitals, popular musicals and dramas, jazz festivals, choral concerts, children's theater camps and art gallery exhibits are just a few of the types of programming that one might expect from the new facility.  The uniqueness of the center lends itself to quickly change from concert hall to theater to conference room, or be sized for smaller ensemble groups wishing to utilize the space.  Local performing groups will find the hall appealing for its comfortable 200 plus seats, as will traveling shows.

How is the management of the facility going to be handled?

Three groups are partnering to start the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.  The Pagosa Springs Arts Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that has been working for the past seven years to get a building to house all of the arts in Pagosa Springs.  Their mission is to unite local artists and create a cohesive community that enables usage of the facility at reasonably priced rates.  They will serve as a fund raising team and an advisory committee for the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.

The Thingamajig Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that was started specifically for the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts by arts professionals from Colorado and Las Vegas.  The Thingamajig Theatre will run a year round season of professional quality theater, including musicals and dramas which will be performed, directed, choreographed and built by local and non local people.  They will run a children's theater program which will include classes, workshop productions for children and by children.  The Thingamajig Theatre Company will also bring in regional and out-of-state traveling groups to perform in Pagosa Springs.   

A private business, the Rohrbacher-Moore LLC will run all of the non artistic and taxable  elements of the building.  This will include, but is not limited to: the bar, food and rental space for weddings, conferences, reunions or meetings.  It will shoulder extra expenses and be the support business for the non-profit that operates the artistic endeavors in the building.  It will make annual donations to its partner non-profit.

The purpose of the partnership between the private business and the non-profits is to allow the building to be put to use to its limits.  Typically, theaters sit empty when a show is not being performed or produced.  The private business will market and work to utilize the building during its artistically "dark" days and hours, to bring extra revenue into the partnership, while allowing the arts groups the time and energy for their artistic purpose.  The privately owned building will also pay property taxes, giving back to the community, unlike the majority of Performing Arts Centers that are built on public lands.

The Thingamajig Theatre Company will employ a Technical Director who will oversee all of the activities and usage of equipment in the performance space, as well as an Artistic Director who will oversee the artistic endeavors. The scheduling of the building will be overseen and managed according to contract agreement by Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts Executive Director, Laura Moore to assure diversity of programming, financial best interest, equality of usage and to avoid scheduling conflicts.  The success of the building is Laura Moore's highest priority and is in the best interest for all three parties.  She is part owner of the building, her husband started the Thingamajig Theatre Company and she sits on the board of the Pagosa Springs Arts Alliance.

What will the usage fee be for the Center for the Arts?

The non-profit Thingamajig Theatre Company will lease the space at an under market rate.  PSAA and the Thingamajig Theatre Company are currently in the process of determining operating costs, securing endowments through the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado and available rates or possible "sponsored usage."  In general, non artistic usage will be more expensive than artistic use charges.  Traveling groups will be charged at a higher rate than local groups.  Events that take place during peak season on peak days and at peak hours will be charged a higher rate than off season rates.  Non-profits will be charged less than for non-profits.

When will the renovation be completed?

We are currently raising funds for the renovation.  We have determined that breaking the project into phases will be the most successful approach.  The first phase includes deconstruction, bathrooms and the main stage, which includes the art gallery and the front lobby.  The second phase includes dressing rooms and green room.  The third phase includes a dance studio, music room and children's theater/rehearsal/studio space.  The fourth phase will be upgrading the shop, offices and storage areas.

The first phase will be complete by June of 2011.  The remaining phases will be completed as funds are acquired. 

How much will the renovation cost?

We have high aspirations of creating a green building project that compliments the natural surrounding beauty, the work of many businesses in town including the Pagosa Springs Hot Springs Spa and Resort and the possibilities that a town with geo-thermal access has to be on the forefront of environmentally friendly living.  The cost for these types of construction projects are typically more expensive up front, but it saves money in the long run.  We also plan on state of the art acoustics and lighting systems, which is more expense on the front end, but comes with the ability to bring in more out-of-town rentals by providing a professional quality facility.

Our high end building cost estimate  is $2,300,000 for the entire project.  Our first phase budget is $998,000.

Will the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts create jobs in Pagosa Springs?

A resounding "yes".  In the Center alone, we will need bartenders, janitors, box office workers, teachers, a technical director, book keepers, marketing directors, wedding photographers, caterers, gallery managers, and construction workers just to name a few.  And we haven't even mentioned any artists yet, have we?  In the community, the Center will affect all of the jobs related to real estate, lodging, retail and restaurants.  As much as we would like to focus on just doing our art, the fact remains, the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts will have an enormous positive economic impact on Archuleta County.

Where do I find out more?

Visit our website www.pagosacenter.org or follow us on Facebook at Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.  It is, like the building, a work in progress.  If you visit it today, please check again next month for more information and updates.  Also, feel free to email Executive Director Laura Moore at laura@pagosacenter.org with any questions you may have.

How do I make a donation, a pledge or a matching contribution?

If you have any questions or want to make a pledge, large contribution, a matching gift or have inquiries about naming rights to the theater, theatre seating, dance studio, art gallery, music room or children's theater please feel free to contact Laura Moore at 970-507-0408 or email her at laura@pagosacenter.org.  She can inform you about making contribution for the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts Capital Fund with the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado.  Or donations can be accepted by mailing a check to the Pagosa Springs Arts Alliance at 2313 Eagle Drive Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.  Pagosa Springs Arts Alliance and the Community Foundations Serving Southwest Colorado are 501(c)(3) status organizations.  All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.  Please include a note with your name as you wish it to appear on our donor wall.  All current monies donated will go directly to the renovation of the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, unless specified for an endowment.