About Chestnut Center for the Arts

Exploring Marshfield’s Chestnut Center for the Arts

In 2003, art loving residents in Marshfield saw their dream come true with the opening of Chestnut Center for the Arts (CCA). Through visual and performing arts, educational classes, and workshops, their vision transformed a historic building into the arts center that exists today. Located in the heart of the city, this nonprofit organization succeeds due to community support.

Executive Director Adam Smrcka will be celebrating his 4th year with CCA. Whether it’s enjoying memories from the past years or excitement over what is to come, he is proud of what the center offers the community.

“We have many performers that we program every year as they love our unbeatable acoustics,” he said. “We have local, regional, national and international performers that we have developed a relationship with over our 14-year history.”

He added that the center also has a passion for supporting its own community by hosting concerts by UW-Marshfield/Wood County, faith based organizations, and upcoming local acts.

“We continually look for new performers that we believe the community will enjoy and always look for collaborations like the one we have with the Marshfield Area Youth Actors and ARTi Gras out of Wisconsin Rapids,” said Smrcka. “We also host an artist lecture series and recitals, and individuals may also rent out the facility.”

Ongoing classes include pottery, painting and drawing, teen comic and monster creation. The “Chapel on Chestnut” is available for weddings and the ballroom for receptions.

For individuals, there are also rooms available for artist and musician studios. Offering opportunities for all to enjoy and participate in the arts is a goal for CCA. With usage of the facility, networking and publicity resources at hand, CCA is an all-encompassing facility.

With successful past and current programs, the future is an active discussion.

“We are very excited for the future of CCA,” said Smrcka. “We are expanding our educational programming for both children and adults, scheduling wonderful performances and will continue to offer a vibrant selection of exhibitions in our gallery.”

Smrcka added that CCA is exploring very exciting options for year-round creative educational programming for families and examining options for businesses and artists in that portion of the venue.

“Along with this, we are currently working diligently on implementing a wheel chair lift, amongst other accessibility upgrades, on our historic building to ensure we are making the arts accessible to all individuals,” he said.

An expansion plan is also in place for use of the Wenzel Family Plaza, formerly the community square located east of CCA and the Post Office. Included in the plaza will be a performance stage, ice skating rink, splash pad, and dining area. Programming and activities will be proposed once the plaza is completed.

All of the planning and implementation of events couldn’t occur without the helpful hands of volunteers. Volunteer opportunities are available at CCA year-round.

Areas where help is needed include ticket sales and serving refreshments at concerts and gallery openings. Teaching and assisting in offered classes is a hands-on opportunity to share personal knowledge of the arts.

Said Smrcka, “People may also find opportunities to volunteer with various projects around the center which may include gardening, handyman work, concert support staffing, etc.”

With so many options and opportunities, Smrcka’s overall message for the community on CCA is clear: “Awareness of the wonderful programming and activities that we have going on at the arts center! If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit our historic building for a concert, art exhibit or class put it on your bucket list!”

The arts center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Financial contributions may be sent to:
Chestnut Avenue Center for the Arts
P.O. Box 613
Marshfield, WI 54449

In-kind donations, volunteer information and questions can be discussed with Smrcka at 715-389-8999 or [email protected].

For current scheduling and directions, please visit: http://chestnut.nex-z.com/ and www.facebook.com/ChestnutArts/