Topic of the Day

Take Your Seats!

cAin center for the Arts opens, tony AWArd-WinninG Actress from hAmilton to perform

by Jennifer Mitchell Photography provided by Cain Center for the Arts

Above and left, renderings of what will greet visitors at the new Cain Center for the Arts.

It has been years in the making and now final plans are underway to celebrate the grand opening of the Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius. The week-long celebration will kick off Tuesday, Jan. 3, with a free event for the public. The community open house will run from 4 to 8 p.m., and includes tours and art classes, as well as a local arts showcase. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 5 and 6, the official building dedication and ribbon cutting will take place by invitation only for the Founders Society Campaign Donors. Festivities will culminate with a grand opening celebration on Saturday and organizers say it will be a memorable evening not to be missed.

“The grand opening event on Saturday, Jan. 7, will be a ticketed event and is open to anyone who would like to attend,” says Justin Dionne, Executive Director. “We are looking forward to the community joining us for a one night only celebration featuring a performance from Tony Award-winning actress Renee Elise Goldsberry, from the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.” The evening will include a catered reception, full open bar, a keepsake celebrating the evening as well as a performance by Goldsberry.

The Cain Center is on Catawba Avenue in the heart of downtown Cornelius. The original vision for the project began in 2013, when Cornelius voters approved a municipal bond package for parks, roads and downtown economic development in the form of an arts and community center. Since then, a non-profit group was formed, working successfully to secure more than $24 million dollars in funding that includes a philanthropic gift from Bill and Erika Cain of Cornelius, as well as gifts from more than 1,000 families, and local and state support. Groundbreaking was held in May 2021, kicking off 18 months of construction.

“This is a phenomenal new center, and it is so much more than just a building,” Dionne says. “The center will be a wonderful place to host business meetings, weddings, celebrations, conferences and more. This will be a place that area residents can utilize and rent out beginning in the fall of 2023.”

The building and campus design includes an intimate 400 seat performance hall, art gallery, multi-use classrooms, a dance studio, board or meeting room, large two-story lobby, outdoor public plaza and green space. Every area has been designed with multiple uses in mind. In September 2021, the Cain Center for the Arts non-profit organization assumed operations of the nearby Cornelius Arts Center from the Town of Cornelius, and now will operate classes and events at both buildings as well as their Music at the Mill concert series.

“We are excited to continue to grow and expand all of our programs and launch our performing arts program in the new 400 seat theater,” says Dionne. “Our mission is to provide exceptional visual arts, performing arts and social experiences to the Lake Norman region.” The final design considered market research, surveys and feedback session input from area residents who wanted a place for family friendly theater, live musical performances and more.

Dionne says the goal is for the Cain Center to become part of the fabric of the community and what it means to live in the Lake Norman area.

“We hope when the community walks through the doors, they feel the pride of all the great work that has been accomplished.”

Tickets are on sale now for the inaugural season that runs from January through May 2023, and for the grand opening celebration. To purchase tickets, visit the Cain Center for the Arts website at www.cainarts.org.

Renee Elise Goldsberry will perform on opening night at the Cain Center for the Arts in January.