ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Escanaba’s Bonifas Arts Center is wrapping up its 50th anniversary with new leadership at the helm.
“I’ve been here about a month now,” said new Executive Director Chelsea Hart. “People have just welcomed me so warmly, and that has been amazing.”
Originally from the City of Norway, Hart’s first experience with the Bonifas Arts Center was at a young age.
“I just always loved doing crafts or artsy things,” she said. “I had a really good art teacher in high school. She was a huge impact of pushing me to put my artwork into different spaces. Through that, I had some artwork here at the Bonifas back in 2009 or 2010.”
Then, after years of working in marketing and fundraising with nonprofits on the West Coast and most recently in Philadelphia, the opportunity to become executive director brought Hart back to the Bonifas.
“I wear a lot of hats—I think that’s the nonprofit staple!” she said. “Having a vision for the Bonifas, where we want to see it in the next five years, ten years, and being able to direct the team as to what we need to do and hit our goals.”
One of Hart’s primary goals is to help a new generation engage with the Arts Center.
“I know a lot of local people know what the Bonifas is, but I think more people can know,” she said. “We have little kids that come for toddler art, we have parents, and then we have our art classes. I see a lot of people on the younger end of the age spectrum and then a lot of people on the older, but I want to hit that medium—almost my age—group, the millennial group.”
In the coming years, Hart says the building will need restoration and repairs. She is hopeful the community will come together to ensure the Bonifas continues going strong for the next five decades.
“We want to keep it beautiful to the level it has been,” said Hart. “This building is around 80-some years old, so if people are passionate about the Bonifas, we need help to keep it safety compliant so that we can still have art shows and classes. I hope that the people who love the Bonifas as much as I do will want to help as much as I do.”
In the meantime, Hart is most passionate about building a stronger community of artists, collaborators, and patrons within the Bonifas Arts Center.
“It’s physically kind of in the heart of Escanaba, but all these programs that are really directly reaching out to our community and then bringing them into this space, I think, is what makes it such an impactful space to everyone in the community,” Hart said.
Those interested in volunteering with or donating to the Bonifas Arts Center can call (906) 786-3833 or visit 700 1st Avenue South. The Bonifas is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
