MEDIA CONTACT:
Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager
(361) 729-5519 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com
ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS REBUILT WITH NO DEBT
All funding provided via grants and Imagine Capital Campaign
ROCKPORT, Texas (June 16, 2023) — Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) announced it is now officially debt free, successfully closing out a $5 million grant it received from the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) to help build the new RCA facility following the destruction of the original building by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.
The entire cost of the new $12.5 million RCA campus was covered by the $5 million EDA grant announced in March 2019 along with more than $7.5 million raised from 800 private donors through the RCA Imagine Capital Campaign launched in March 2018. The new 1.2-acre RCA campus officially opened in December 2022, complete with a 14,000-square-foot, two-story arts and education building and an 8,000-square-foot conference center built to withstand the next 100-year storm, as well as a 16,000-square-foot sculpture garden.
“The EDA grant allowed for the expansion of our facilities and programs and to build more resilient structures, which were desperately needed,” said Luis Puron, executive director of Rockport Center for the Arts. “The closing of the EDA grant culminates a long-range recovery plan for RCA that started in 2018 with the launch of the Imagine Capital Campaign; we are so pleased that we were able to successfully complete the project without encumbering debt.”
Rockport Center for the Arts is one of many post-Harvey success stories having never canceled an exhibit, a program, or an event despite the devastating loss of its previous facility, re-opening its doors in a temporary facility on December 2, 2017, just 99 days after the storm. The new RCA now serves as an anchor for downtown economic revitalization, drawing tourism and event business to the community.
For general information, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Rockport Center for the Arts
The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts is located a block away from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, including a 4,400-square-foot ballroom and culinary arts kitchen (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. The hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519. For information on event space, or to book an event, contact Paulette Kluge at (361) 960-2090.
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