Grantee Spotlight: Gunnison Arts Center
Boot stomping. Whirring wheels. Steady thwacks of a knife on a cutting board. All sounds one encounters when entering the Gunnison Arts Center (GAC), which for 45 years has provided a place to create and gather.
GAC offers creative recreation of all sorts to all ages: dance, acting, drawing, painting, ceramics—even cooking.
“It’s recreation for the mind, body and spirit, for all ages, for all backgrounds, for all languages spoken, for anyone and everyone,” said GAC Executive Director Alysa VandenHeuvel.
GAC received a $35,000 MetRec Recreation Operations Grant in 2026. Covering building costs allows GAC to keep class prices low and continue to support local visual and performing artists.
“It helps the Arts Center keep our doors open, our studios safe, our galleries active and our public spaces ready for the community,” VandenHeuvel said.
A welcoming space for all
Locals, second homeowners and visitors all come through the doors for classes, gallery exhibitions and free community events. GAC has something for every generation, offering programming tailored to toddlers through seniors.
“I always say we serve ages two to 102,” VandenHeuvel said.
Importantly, older youth have found a home at GAC, too. In partnership with Gravity Diversity Project, GAC offers a free Wednesday afterschool ceramic program for middle and high schoolers. An English-Spanish translator attends each session, intended to make more participants feel welcome. It’s a safe, fun way to spend the afternoon, and it provides a crucial “third space” for preteens and teens to socialize.
“I love seeing the building full of life, whether its kids in a theater camp, students learning to line dance or people checking out the gallery exhibits,” VandenHeuvel said.
GAC’s partnerships across the district bring the community together. Gunnison High School seniors hold a month-long gallery show each spring. Six Points clients’ artwork anchors a popular silent auction every fall. CB State of Mind collaborates on free monthly Community Connects art classes. Bridging town-gown relations, every Western Colorado University student receives a free center membership to encourage “a sense of belonging and being part of town,” VandenHeuvel said.
Above all, VandenHeuvel said, she wants people to see GAC as part of Gunnison County’s recreation ecosystem.
“We’re not separate from wellness and community life,” she said. “We are one of those places where that happens.”
To learn about classes, events, the free Western membership or tuition assistance, visit the gunnisonartscenter.org.
Photo courtesy of Gunnison Arts Center.
