Congressional Appropriation To Aid Cannon County Arts Center
December 2, 2004, WOODBURY - U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon has helped secure $291,000 in federal funding for the Arts Center of Cannon County to build a new cultural-tourism complex, which would increase the size of the existing facility by an additional 6,000 square feet.
The estimated cost of the project is $800,000, with the remaining funding made up of additional grants and local aid. A new museum, dining facility and welcome center will be included in the new complex.
"Cannon County's heritage is rich and diverse," said Gordon, dean of the state's congressional delegation and ranking member of the House Science Committee. "And the Arts Center has been able to add to that heritage by having a first-rate facility that promotes the arts and crafts, as well as the history, of the area."
The Arts Center of Cannon County began as a community theater group in 1980. The organization's original facility was opened in 1991, according to Donald Fann, the center's executive director.
Since then, the number of visitors to the center has increased from 2,000 to 40,000 and serves more than 100 craft artists, 400 performing artists and 18,000 students annually.
"We have a positive effect on the county's tourism industry," Fann said. "And we help local artists promote their crafts and sell their goods. The arts have become a significant driving force in the county's economy.
"This new cultural-tourism complex should help cement the cultural tourism infrastructure of the region and enhance Cannon County's reputation as a popular destination for tourists interested in the arts, history, local culture and crafts," he added.
