CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) – On top of a hill sits a historic building that overlooks Chippewa Falls, which has been a part of the community for 25 years. The Heyde Center is a place that continues to bring people together to enjoy creative expression. It offers anything from beautiful paintings to elaborate performances. The executive director, Debra Johnson, shares the story of how the community arts center came to be and its growth. Johnson has been the executive director of the community arts center for 19 years.
“I have had the opportunity to travel and work all over the world, but to bring those types of cultural performances here to this area to help people like my friends, my family, and neighbors all understand the beauty that the arts bring.”
As residents drive past the Heyde Center day after day, we forget the memories that reside within its walls and how its very foundation has affected the community we see today. Johnson said the building serves as a reminder of the community’s past and the people who shaped it.
“I think the exciting thing about the Heyde Center is that it really is community-owned. Thousands of people put in thousands of hours to make this place. It’s not just one person.”
The building was once a high school, before it closed in 1964. With each passing year, it deteriorated brick by brick. For nearly a decade, it sat waiting for new life until the nonprofit Chippewa Valley Cultural Association, Inc. (CVCA) was formed in 1976.
“It was formed in order to save this old building and with the hope that they could actually make a community arts center.”
It was a pipe dream, but the group refused to give up until they finally restored it to what we see today.
“They kept what they could’ve. You’ll see the Dome is still there. That was a feat. If you’re sitting on the balcony, you could hear the stage very clearly. This auditorium was always meant to be a Performing Arts Center.”
The project took nearly 20 years to complete before the CVCA could invite the community back to its doorstep.
“We still have people today that work to support us, volunteer, and they still can’t believe that it was able to be done because the place was in shambles.”
Now the CVCA uses this venue to create an environment where people’s differences are embraced and celebrated.
“To use art to help people heal, to celebrate, to enjoy, to better their quality of life, that was very, very intriguing to me.”
Its growth is an accomplishment that is being celebrated during the Heyde Center’s 25th anniversary gala. Johnson invites new generations to explore the Heyde Center and prevent the building from collapsing into the same fate as it did years before.
“That is my hope for the future, that this continues to be a living, breathing organization that will serve as a beacon on the hill like it has now. We’re starting to see younger people coming in and saying, ‘This is my art.’ They’re going to determine the future of what the Heyde Center does and continues to do.”
The Heyde Center is hosting its 25th anniversary gala to celebrate its journey and growth. The gala is Saturday, October 11, at 6:30 p.m. The event features Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos and a live auction. Funds raised from the event will be used to underwrite programming and capital development projects. General Admission tickets $45/ VIP Experience is $85 per person. You can find more information here.