Gunnison Arts Center

Background Statement

The Gunnison Arts Center’s story begins with its home—an iconic 1882 Italianate-style building originally serving as the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad freight office and the European Hotel. Over the years, the building housed a hardware store, clothing shop, and bar before becoming the permanent home for the arts in Gunnison.

The community arts movement began in 1983 when a group of passionate volunteers formed the Gunnison Council for the Arts to create space for local theater, dance, and visual arts. By 1989, the Council became the Gunnison Arts Center, officially gaining nonprofit status. In 1992, with generous support from community members and funders, the GAC purchased its current home at 102 South Main Street.

In 2018, the Gunnison Arts Center launched the Framing Our Future Capital Campaign to restore and modernize the historic building. Completed in fall 2024, the campaign transformed the facility with the addition of a state-of-the-art flexible black box theatre (seating 90+), a new culinary arts teaching kitchen, the Clay Collective Gallery dedicated to ceramic arts, and a new flagship Cy Baird Gallery. These improvements ensure the GAC remains a vibrant, inclusive, and innovative hub for arts and culture in the Gunnison Valley for generations to come.