Since its inception in 2019, the Painted Sky Center for the Arts (PSCA) has experienced remarkable growth. The increasing demand for programming has highlighted the need for additional classrooms, office space, ADA accessibility, a performance hall, and cultural exhibition areas. To address this demand, PSCA recently purchased a 17,700-square-foot building located at 116 NW Bridge Street in John Day. This new facility will enable us to effectively expand our programming and services. Additionally, the building had long-term tenants, which contribute to PSCA’s operational income, making ownership vital for our mission and long-term sustainability.
The building is a newly renovated, underutilized historic middle school that offers ample classroom space, exhibition areas, and a large event center. It is ADA-accessible and situated next to a city-owned visitor parking lot. Located in a prime downtown area of John Day, it is near the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, the Heart of Grant County (women’s shelter), local parks, hotels, walking trails, and low-income housing. This new location will facilitate arts education for adults, create a cultural history research room, provide ample classroom space for after-school programming, and ensure safe bus loading and unloading for youth involved in after-school activities.
In 2022, PSCA was selected by the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon (CACO) as one of 16 projects to receive $500,000 from the Cultural Resource Economic Funds (CREF). This funding was awarded following a thorough peer-review process that evaluated each proposal based on economic, financial, and technical criteria, as well as community support.
PSCA also received a total of $175,000 from the Roundhouse Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation specifically for the down payment on the building. To finance the purchase, we reached out to Craft 3 for a gap loan, which covered the remaining cost of the building—$890,000 minus the $175,000 down payment. This loan was crucial in securing the building before it returned to the market. In October 2023, PSCA finalized the purchase of the building and began receiving lease income from the tenants, which currently covers the Craft 3 mortgage payment. Throughout this campaign, we received a generous award from $75,000 from the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation and another $25,000 from an anonyomous donor. In addition to the $500,000 we recieved from CREF, all of these funds were applied to our current balance at Craft 3.
We are so close to completing this capital campaign, having raised 87% of the funds as of today! All funds donated to this campaign will help pay off the balance of ourCraft 3 loan, eliminating our mortgage, and allow us to use the rental income for operational costs. The success of this capital campaign is essential for our long-term sustainability.
