The ArtsCenter in Carrboro announced it is the recipient of a $1.6 million grant from the Nicholson Foundation this week. The grant will support fundraising efforts for a new ArtsCenter facility proposed at 303 Jones Ferry Road. 

The Nicholson Foundation, which is based in New Jersey, has been funding The ArtsCenter for nine years. Nicholson Trustee Barbara McFadyen is on the board of The ArtsCenter, The Grable Foundation, and the Penland School of Crafts. 

“It is time for The ArtsCenter to have a home that can showcase the imagination within so that it can flourish, embrace, and inspire more members of our community,” McFadyen said in a press release. “For this reason, The Nicholson Foundation is excited to be making a cornerstone gift to this Capital Campaign.” 

The ArtsCenter partnered with the Town of Carrboro on the 203 Project, a mixed-use development that would host the Orange County Southern Branch Library and WCOM community radio in 2018, but pulled out of the project last year citing plans to develop its own facility. In October, the ArtsCenter made a $85,000 settlement with the Town of Carrboro to cover costs associated with the withdrawal. 

The ArtsCenter—which hosts classes, performances, and exhibits—was founded in 1974 by the writer and filmmaker Jacques Menasch. It has been at its current location at 300 East Main Street for more than thirty years.

More information on fundraising efforts and the new building can be found here. 

Contact deputy arts and culture editor Sarah Edwards at [email protected]

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Sarah Edwards is culture editor of the INDY, covering cultural institutions and the arts in the Triangle. She joined the staff in 2019 and assumed her current role in 2020.