Revitalization efforts are in full swing at the new Pacific Beach Arts Center, with a fundraiser gala, youth camps and community offerings on the horizon.
PB Arts Center will host an “Evening for the Arts” from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 20 at the Soledad Club. The gala will serve as a benefit celebration, raising funds for continued growth of the center as well as a chance for community members to reflect on and learn more about the revitalization efforts led by beautifulPB.
“We are reimagining the space as a vibrant, multi-purpose arts center,” said Jennifer Tandy, the center’s event and philanthropy co-chair. “We will feature theater art, live performances, artist studios, community events, culinary classes and music. This will be an expansive indoor and outdoor space and will be a creative hub for everybody. This will be a great community space.”
The PB Arts Center at 4606 Ingraham Street offering the community a space to create and collaborate was a driving factor of recent revitalization efforts, Tandy said.
Jennifer Tandy, PB Arts Center event chair (Courtesy of PB Arts Center)
Part of that includes youth camps and class offerings for aspiring young creatives, which began on June 3 and run through the summer.
“There will be tons of summer camps in the outdoor area,” Tandy said. “We will offer sewing, dance, gardening, wellness, technology and fashion camps. We will be offering these all throughout the summer.”
One of the groups behind youth classes and camps is The Music Company, a nonprofit independent music making space in Pacific Beach.
Ted Pawela, executive director of The Music Company, said camps such as the ones set to be offered are important.
“Our partnership is to be able to extend the Arts Center programming with the facility and equipment we have,” Pawela said. “It is very unique. For us, our mission of growing careers in the music industry starts with teens and introduces them to the music industry. The programs and classes we are offering is a summer camp focused on recording technology and it is a music media camp.”
For Pawela, the PB Arts Center partnership will serve as a resource for young, ambitious artists and allow for creativity to take root.
“We will teach the entire recording workflow,” he said. “How do you record an instrument, beats and vocals? How do you mix tracks? Also hands-on video creation experience. It is an end-to-end camp to learn everything about music technology.
“This is a great way for students to see how things really take place behind the scenes and learn if music is something they want to do,” Pawela said.
To see the schedule of all summer camps and to register, visit pbartscenter.org.
While camps like The Music Company’s are soon to be in full swing, the PB Arts Center is working towards fundraising goals to make the space fully usable, indoors and out.
“Right now, we have raised over $400,000 towards our $1.25 million capital campaign,” Tandy said. “What this will go towards is things like clean up and construction and creating a usable space. The Pacific Beach Woman’s Club was our founding sponsor, with other partners like YMCA, San Diego Unified School District and LPA Design Studio.”
The Evening for the Arts gala will serve as a large opportunity for community members and local businesses to donate, Tandy said.
“We are so excited for this event and are hopeful it will get us close to our fundraising goal,” she said. “It will be a great chance to bring people together, like artists, community members and leaders, and work towards a shared goal of building the arts center.”
Just like many locals have pitched in to make the PB Arts Center a creative, usable hub, businesses across Pacific Beach have stepped up for the gala as well.
“Café Athena will cater and we will have live jazz, drinks and desserts,” Tandy said. “We will have a live auction and a 15-piece fine art gallery and sculpture sale. We will have a raffle and a paddle raise as well, with chances for everyone to donate and contribute.”
Major event sponsors include Wagner’s School of Music, Schoettle Financial, Kristin and Steven Victor Family Foundation and the Gallery at Lands’ End.
“I am so excited for the fundraiser,” Tandy said. “It will be our very first event, where we are inviting the entire community. It will be such a fun night and we hope to raise a great amount.”
Want to go?
An Evening for the Arts
What: Gala fundraiser for the PB Arts Center
When: 6-9 p.m. Saturday, June 20
Where: Soledad Club, 5050 Soledad Road, Pacific Beach
Cost: early bird tickets are $75 until June 6, then the price is $100. Buy at pbartscenter.org
Good to know: Festive and creative attire encouraged.