By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR The West Windsor Arts Center opened its doors for business only a little over a year ago and so far, business is booming.
Members of the West Windsor Arts Council visited the Township Council on April 30 to give an update on the Arts Center.
”The West Windsor Arts Center is a magnet for the creative, the doers, the participators and the appreciators,” said Arts Council President Lisa Weil. “People come to make friends, to explore, to experience and to enjoy.”
Arts Center Executive Director Eduardo Garcia said in 2011 alone, 8,600 people attended more than 100 arts and cultural events. He estimated that close to 1,000 people come through the center’s doors every month to take part in various activities.
”Imagine our excitement in knowing within 12 months of opening our doors, all of these wonderful things are happening in a modest 80-year-old firehouse,” said Mr. Garcia.
With the center’s future in mind, the Arts Council is in the final stages of creating a three-year strategic plan that includes the creation of a grant sponsorship initiative.
Ms. Weil said the plan will be ratified during this month’s monthly trustee meeting and will go into effect this year.
”Since our opening, we have been busy shifting gears from getting the building open to learning how to be an arts center,” she added. “We continue to take steps to enhance key operational areas that ensure organizational stability and cultural growth.”She praised the center’s volunteers who help run the office, projects, events and camps, but also acknowledged the Arts Council’s efforts to enhance its budgeting discipline and revenue strategies.
For example, the Arts Council is joining forces with the GroWW team for a Mother’s Day plant and herb sale fund-raiser on May 12 and is in the process of planning a gala for some time in November.
Ms. Weil described the Development Committee 2012 plan for the Arts Center as “ambitious,” reporting that it intends to have a 12 percent increase in the annual fund over the center’s 2011 accomplishments. The committee also launched a membership drive and will aim to double 2011’s membership.
”The significant result of these efforts will be increased community awareness of the West Windsor Arts Center,” said Ms. Weil.
Not only has the center brought out West Windsor’s artistic side, but it has also spurred economic growth by continuing to hire employees and drawing people into the neighborhood.
Although the Arts Council’s initial focus was on the immediate neighborhood surrounding the center, Ms. Weil said they plan to knit the arts throughout the fabric of West Windsor and continue its growing relationships with the town’s nonprofit organizations and the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District.

