In 1974, CAE was established with a mission to enrich and serve our mountain community.
We would achieve this by promoting and cultivating the arts through quality educational programming, exhibitions, and events.
Over the years that is exactly what CAE has done. For more than 46 years CAE has provided our mountain community with access to art from across the country and around the world, as well as promoting our local artists with vigor and enthusiasm.
In 2017, under the direction of Executive Director, Steve Sumner, CAE opened its own building equipped with space for teaching, curation and creative expression. An historic building was transformed into a gathering place for artists, art lovers and the community at large, to engage in the enjoyment and appreciation of the visual, functional and musical arts. This permanent building was purchased, renovated and opened to the public through grants and private donation, leaving The Center without debt despite this crucial accomplishment.
In 2019, Steve Sumner retired from his position as Executive Director. He has remained a friend and enthusiastic supporter and CAE will always be grateful for the great strides made under his oversight. In 2020 the CAE Board of Directors hired a new Executive Director, Lisa Nierenberg, with vast experience in fundraising and a heart truly committed to the expansion of the arts in Evergreen through the further development of CAE.
Lisa has surrounded herself with a staff of doers, people with a strong work ethic, a high level of creativity and tremendous commitment to the vision that Lisa and the Board of Directors have mapped out for The Center. Now, more than ever, CAE is primed to define itself as a premier art center in Colorado. Lisa and her staff have brought in high level art, as well as the artists, allowing the community to interact with professional artists and learn the story behind the show. The first phase of the CAE building has been a huge success, and it is time to move forward with the second phase, a second building that will add the space for artists to work and the public to gather, in a beautiful, art inspired setting.
The CAE staff and Board of Directors are prepared to complete this original vision for the CAE facility through sound financial practices and a strategic understanding of the arts and the benefit this expansion will provide to our community, knowing that the support of the art patrons in our area is paramount to the success of this endeavor. The Center for the Arts is in the process of building a legacy that will remain as a foundational pillar of our mountain lifestyle far into the future. The building blocks are in place to move forward with the dream of an all-inclusive art center in Evergreen.
The opportunity is profound, and the time is now to take this important step forward for all of us.