For those of you who don't know very much about the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, I'll give you a little bit of history. The LPCA was founded in 1972 by Nettie Marie Jones, whose generosity and vision provided not only the 2.4 acres and the buildings on which the Arts Center grew, but also the guiding force behind its programming. It is now the only year-round complex for the arts in the North Country region serving over 30,000 residents and visitors annually.
If my memory serves me correctly, back in the 60's the very first inkling of an arts center was located in a small part of a building on Paradox Bay, off Victor Herbert Rd., owned by Nettie Marie Jones and home to Grote's Boat Landing and Marina. In the dark recesses of that old building several local artists cleaned it up and formed an arts colony with exhibit space. I remember Vano Kola, Bob Whitney and John Galucci among others, giving lessons and hanging the products of their amazing talents for public viewing. Around that same time, The Lake Placid Playhouse came into being in a building which subsequently became Frederick's Restaurant and now is Cherokee Trail Condominiums, behind the Community Bank building on Saranac Ave. Some incredible productions came out of the Playhouse during that time under the direction of the tireless Joan Frank. Summer stock theatre was in full swing and Lake Placid had its very own company, just like many summer resorts around the country. The Lake Placid Playhouse musical productions seemed always to include many local children and adults as well as the summer stock actors from New York. Productions were presented in a theatre-in-the-round setting and were always sold out. It was a magical and exciting time for the arts in Lake Placid.
In addition to the art and theatre happenings, there were also concerts featuring world-class performers, presented in local residents' homes. It was the first time performing arts such as this were offered to the general public in the village. At some point during that time discussion began to circulate about the possibility of combining all these arts under one roof. It turned out to be Dan Patchett, the son of an employee of Mrs. Jones, who finally brought the idea of an arts complex to fruition in 1972, originally to be named the Center for Music, Drama and Art and an arts school attached. Dan became the first director of the Lake Placid School of Art, with Joan Frank as director of the CMDA. Eventually the name of the complex was changed to the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and the organization became self-sufficient thanks to dedicated vision and very hard work by the Board of Directors. There are very few arts centers in such small communities able to survive this way.
An arm of the CMDA at the time was the Lake Placid School of Art, which occupied a very large building where Desperados Restaurant is located today. An extensive and important arts library as well as a dorm were constructed next door. The art school proudly housed a state of the art darkroom and photography classroom, large studios for painting, pottery, sculpture, silkscreening and many other mediums, and attracted some world renowned art instructors. Lake Placid was indeed very fortunate to have the school in its midst during the 70's and very early 80's. Unfortunately, the art school didn't survive, but the rest of the LPCA complex is healthy and thriving thanks to fundraisers, memberships, donations, box office sales and class fees. The library building currently houses a thriving studio space for the Lake Placid School of Ballet, adult and children's workshops, the Harvest Market as well as an alternative performance space.
Some of the classroom equipment from The Lake Placid School of Art survived and was transferred to the smaller classrooms at the LPCA. The Center currently offers a healthy array of productions, ongoing exhibits and a wide variety of classes. You can expand your horizons with classes in ceramics, painting, drawing, fiber arts, acting, jewelry making, gardening and even cooking! The Lake Placid School of Ballet has its headquarters here, as do a variety of exercise classes. If you haven't checked out the offerings at this amazing facility, do so please. I took one of the wheel throwing pottery classes last year and produced some very respectable pieces. It was lots of fun, I met some great new people and had something beautiful to show for it. A membership at LPCA will also get you the benefit of discounts at many of the productions and classes as well. Check out their website and performance, workshops and events schedules - you're sure to find something that will give you pleasure. Visit LPCA at www.lakeplacidarts.com