ART Station

5384 Manor Drive
Stone Mountain GA 30083

Phone: 770-469-1105
Email: [email protected]

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Description:
About The Art Station

ART Station was founded in 1986 by David Thomas with the help of five college friends: Michael Hidalgo, Susan Phillips, Clarinda Ross, Gail Evans,  and Kim Carpenter. The group of friends had either attended undergraduate school with David at Appalachian State University or graduate school with David at Virginia Tech. After graduation, the group was reunited when they all were working at various theatre and arts management jobs in Atlanta, GA.

David was working as Director of Grants for the Georgia Council for the Arts, the state of Georgia’s arts agency and a division of the Governor’s Office. His dream was to put together a group of people who could create an arts center and theatre where the art work and plays produced were not only challengin  artistically, but were accessible to all social and economic groups. After developing a business plan, a mission statement, incorporating, creating by-laws and obtaining 501 (c) 3 status from the IRS, the group began its first project.

That project was a new play conceived and directed by David and written and performed by Clarinda entitled "From My Grandmother’s Grandmother Unto Me." The play was produced in a rented theatre in Atlanta where it had a very successful run. After applying to and being accepted to perform the play at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, the play became very popular and toured all over the United States and was featured in the Cultural Olympiad of the Winter Olympic Games for a National Tour in Norway.

The next step was to find a home and to develop a strong Board of Trustees made up corporate and community leaders who could make the dream of the founders become a reality. The founding group actually stumbled upon the old Trolley Car Barn while attending an arts festival in the tiny Village of Stone Mountain located just 15 miles east of downtown Atlanta. After gaining entrance to and seeing the building, it was evident where this new arts center was to be located. Research proved the area to be "booming" in new development of single homes and there was no cultural facility in the area.

After finding a photograph of one of the old trolley cars with the words "Atlant  Rapid Transit" inscribed on the side there was no doubt what the name of the arts center would be, thus, the ART in ART Station’s name.

The Board, Capital Campaign Committee, and founding group worked together to raise over 2.5 million dollars to purchase and renovate the 1913 decaying structure into a contemporary arts center. After removing asbestos from the building, the following new systems were added: Electrical and plumbing, fire protection, lighting fixtures, ten HVAC systems, elevator, windows and doors, new roof, stage, galleries and classroom build outs, and theatre lighting and sound equipment.

Hundreds of volunteers from the local community as well as Rotary Clubs and Woman’s Clubs donated hundreds of hours of time, hanging drywall, painting, building the theatre seating area, the stage, panels for the five galleries and, of course polishing and cleaning.

Twenty years later David still serves as the President and Artistic Director of the arts center and Michael serves as the Associate Producer and General Manager.

The ART Station staff are all working arts professionals with many years of experience in the various artistic disciplines produced at ART Station. The Board of Trustees is a dedicated group of corporate leaders, bankers, politicians, and community activist who are dedicated to the vision of the organization and are committed to assisting the staff in raising the necessary   funds to operate the center.

Over 75 artists teach and perform on a contract basis at ART Station each year. All arts instructors, actors, designers, production employees and visual artist are professional working artists who have agreed to the ART Station mission of accessibility to all.

Over 100 dedicated community volunteers are active at ART Station on a regular basis. These volunteers serve as ushers, concessions and bar workers, assist in production work and are the backbone of the work force at ART Station's four annual fund raisers.

The ART Station Team is made up of the staff, the Board of Trustees, the instructors, the artists, the corporate and foundation sponsors, the membership and of course, the over 50,000 patrons who attend programs at ART Station each year. All are working to create a healthy environment where the arts may flourish and are a part of every day life.