The wait-and-see approach taken by the City Council for Art Center funding has so far not netted the needed $83,000 for upgrades to the interior of the new facility.

Back in September, the City Council approved $91,000 to expand the parking lot of the facility, which was donated to the city of Eden Prairie by the Sampson family this year.

Though it had been used as an art studio, the 5,400-square-foot-building at 7650 Equitable Drive needs a number of upgrades before it can be opened to the public. Along with expanding the parking lot, about $83,000 in interior upgrades needs to be completed, such as bringing the building’s doors up to code and expanding the restroom.

Though the City Council went forward with funding the parking lot expansion, a majority on the council opted to see if funds for the interior improvements could be raised by Friends of the Eden Prairie Art Center in time to open the facility by mid-January.

The Friends of the Eden Prairie Art Center formed this summer and has been working to raise funds and awareness about an Eden Prairie Art Center. The group has organized a number of events around the city to that end. At a recent City Council meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer gave the council members an update on what has been raised. 

The group has brought in about $3,500 “primarily from individuals,” he said.

Friends of the Eden Prairie Art Center is in the process of pursuing a number of grants, but it could take months to hear back on those projects. Additionally, the group has received a pledge of $25,000 from an individual. But that donation comes with the stipulation that they could access the funds once the building is open and operational, noted Lotthammer. The Eden Prairie Foundation, which acts as the fiscal agent for the Friends of the Art Center, has also awarded a grant for $8,500 to fund the pottery studio, with the contingency that it will be awarded upon the city opening the Art Center to public.

Stacy Desai, the chair of the Friends of the Eden Prairie Art Center, said they are finding that possible donors want the city to commit to opening the building.

She said she’s found that people are more interested in funding kiln or glass-blowing equipment, not necessarily structural building improvements.

“People want to give money for the equipment and the required materials,” she said.

According the original Art Center Task Force report, the start-up costs for the facility were estimated to total $326,000, including the building upgrades and things like kilns, tables, chairs, shelving and equipment. Part of what will make the Eden Prairie Art Center unique will be glass blowing equipment and classes. The former owner of the building, Roger Sampson, specialized in glass blowing. Sampson passed away in 2006, but his family wanted to make sure his studio remained a place of art-making. After looking into the costs of starting up the facility through the Art Center Task Force, the city accepted the donation this spring.

 The cost to operate the facility was estimated to be $78,000. The taskforce report included a potential timeline which scheduled the Art Center to be up and running by January 2009. In contrast to neighboring facilities, Eden Prairie startup costs are smaller.

According to the task force report, the capital costs for the Bloomington’s art center were $7.2 million and the operating deficit is $417,137. Over in Edina, the capital costs for that art center were $2 million, and the operating costs are $133,267. Lakeville’s art center included almost $3 million in starting costs and its operating deficit is $79,650.

As the deadline looms for a January opening, so far, no donor has come forward to pay for interior upgrades.

Upcoming fundraiser

Desai noted that there will be some fundraising events coming up in January.

The “Relax, Refresh, Renew, Bead Art 4 You” event is part of a partnership with Aurora Jewelers in Eden Prairie. Jewelers will guide participants at this event to make their own necklace or bracelet using beads. The cost is $20 per person for those pre-registering.

The event will be offered from 4 to 6 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Jan 20; from 11 to 1 p.m.  Jan. 21, and from 4 to 6 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22.

More details for the event can be found on the Friends’ Web site at www.edenprairieartcenter.com.

The group is also working with jewelry designers to produce pieces as part of additional fundraising. Check the Web site for information on that collection.