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 The Carpinteria Valley Arts Council (CVAC) grew out of
Step One: A Gallery, a visual artists' cooperative
established in 1996 to take the first steps to establish
a center for the arts. In January 2001, a group of local
artists advertised a town hall meeting to measure
support for an arts center. Over one hundred
enthusiastic people representing a wide spectrum of the
arts were present. The group established the concept for
the Arts Center and its major components. The meeting
led to the formation of the Carpinteria Valley Arts
Council which began planning meetings in February 2001.
The Arts Council then laid the groundwork necessary for
success of its mission. It established itself as an
organization that is operated exclusively for charitable
purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the
IRS and began raising funds for operation.
A Site Selection Committee was established and spent one
and one-half years consulting with architects,
thoroughly researching and evaluating possible locations
for the Arts Center. The Site Committee's Feasibility
study (attached) confirmed that the Arts Center would
best suit the entire community if it were located in the
heart of downtown. The Committee also contacted arts
centers throughout California that were of similar size
and had comparable demographics in order to determine
the needs of a community arts Center in Carpinteria. The
Arts Council then began a search for specific Arts
Center site. This search culminated in the proposal to
purchase the property at 855 Linden Avenue which will
one day be the location of the Community Arts Center.
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