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Carrollwood Cultural Center Opens

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 20, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - After nearly a decade in development, the new Carrollwood Cultural Center opens its doors to the arts.
Hillsborough County commissioners praised the state-of-the-art facility at a grand opening and ribbon-cutting last week attended by about 100 residents and local dignitaries. Small groups took informal tours after the speeches as the Sickles High School jazz ensemble played tunes onstage.
Commission chairman Ken Hagan described the former church turned cultural center as one designed for the arts.

"I'm blown away by not only how beautiful the building is, but I'm also struck by the attention to detail," he said.

The two-story building boasts outdoor areas in the art rooms where students can paint in natural light. The pottery room has a separate area for two large digital kilns and fans for ventilation. The stage has a computerized dimmer system.

The center has a stage, 200-seat auditorium, meeting areas and rooms to teach dance, music, digital photography, painting and pottery.

The cultural center is a partnership between the county and the Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center. It is the first public center that focuses solely on promoting and teaching the arts in Hillsborough County.

County Commissioner Jim Norman recalled how in 2000 he and early supporters drove around Carrollwood Village looking for possible sites for the center.

The county spent nearly $8 million to buy the land and to refurbish and expand two former churches at Casey and Lowell roads.

"It's almost like a perfect storm. This came as a blessing to this community," he said.

Under the management agreement, the Friends group will run the center's day-to-day operations with a county stipend to help offset the costs. The center is expected to be self-supporting.
County leaders called it a model for partnerships during a time of tight budget cuts and tax reforms.

At the grand opening ceremony, residents and teachers marveled at the facility's equipment.

Artist Dorie Anderson, who will teach figurative sculpture classes at the cultural center, said the top-notch classroom will do a lot to draw students.

"It's like going to a five-star hotel," she said. "They've thought of things ahead of time. The research and development has been very thorough. The lighting is good. The ventilation is good. Everything here is first-rate."

The pottery room boasts 12 Brent electronic potter's wheels, two large digital Paragon kilns and two roller tables so students can roll out clay to a uniform thickness.

Gilda Butler, who will teach beginning pottery classes, said the class is equipped with the same high-quality machinery that she uses in her home studio.

"I think it's marvelous," she said. "They have spared no expense in giving us the quality equipment we need to work with."

Mary Ann Martin, a former pottery student of Butler's, attended the grand opening and plans to sign-up for more lessons.

"I am certainly impressed with what I've seen today," she said. "It's certainly an asset. I think it's going to be quite successful."

WHAT'S NEXT

WHAT: The Carrollwood Cultural Center public tours and class registrations

WHEN: 1 to 8 p.m. March 3-7

WHERE: Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road

CONTACT: (813) 269-1310

COURSES TO BE OFFERED

Art, jewelry-making, pottery, digital photography, music, piano, electronic keyboard, ensemble, music theory, music survey, children's music, theater, children's theater, dance, computers, wellness, languages, enrichment and chess

Reporter Elizabeth Lee Brown can be reached at (813) 865-1502 or ebrown@tampatrib.com.

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