ArtCenter Manatee moves closer to fundraising goal

ArtCenter Manatee is a little closer to its ultimate goal of reshaping its footprint in Bradenton.

The arts organization announced Wednesday that it has received a pair of donations worth $1 million apiece from the Floyd C. and Flo Singer Johnson Foundation and from the Manatee Tourist Development Council. That brings the total money raised in the development project to about $7.7 million of an estimated $11-$12 million necessary to bring it to fruition.

A press release announcing the donations noted that Charlotte “Flo” Singer Johnson was an artist and a member of the ArtCenter Manatee community in the 1970s and '80s. Johnson died in 2012, but her charity has continued supporting the causes she loved. The Tourist Development Council, led by Executive Director Elliott Falcione, also contributed to the center’s building fund because it sensed an important opportunity.

“Arts and culture for our community is the fabric of our community,” Falcione said in an official statement. “When businesses are looking at the Bradenton area, one of the first questions they ask is, ‘What’s your arts and culture community like?’ From a tourism perspective, it allows us to create a niche market that really helps to drive a diverse group of people to the urban core. Overall, arts and culture is powerful for our community and we are blessed to be a part of it.”

ArtCenter Manatee had previously announced a $1 million donation from the Bishop Parker Foundation in May, and the Steve and Natalee Herrig Family Foundation made a $2 million donation in April for a facility that will bear their family name.

The future building will be named the Herrig Center of the Arts, and it’s expected to be a two-story facility with 28,000 square feet of space inside.

Once that building is completed, the current center will be razed and developed into a park and sculpture garden.

ArtCenter Manatee hopes to break ground on the project sometime later this fall.

“These gifts put us closer to our goal and the reality of breaking ground this year,” said Carla Nierman, executive director of the center, of the most recent donations.

“We are extremely grateful for these two gifts and for the commitment our community has shown in supporting the center’s building campaign.”