Dublin Breaks Ground On Cultural Arts Center

The Dublin City Council broke ground on the future Cultural Arts Center (CAC) last week. The 13,000-square-foot, multi-use facility will serve as a hub for cultural arts programming in the city.

The design for the CAC was unanimously approved by Dublin City Council in May 2020.

Mayor of Dublin, Melissa Hernandez, recognized the individuals who had supported the vision for the CAC over the years and emphasized that the facility would be a regional resource. The goal is for the Cultural Arts Center to become an art hub for Dublin residents and the surrounding Tri-Valley. This will include collaborating with the art community to bring a variety of programs, classes, exhibits, and more to the space.

Some of the key features of the CAC:
•Art gallery
•Black box theater
•Art and music classrooms
•Indoor/outdoor art yard
•Dance studio

Besides City Staff and Arts Commissioners, representatives from various organizations involved in the project were present for the ceremony including Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning Inc., the company commissioned to complete the renovations. The Group 4 team includes architects, planners, interior designers, and technical and construction support specialists.

Dublin Arts Collective (DAC) President and Alameda County Arts Commissioner, Sawsan Wolski, said, "I am thankful to Mayor Melissa Hernandez and Supervisor David Haubert for their support in bringing this project to fruition. On behalf of the East Bay, Tri-Valley, and our very own artists and art lovers, I would also like to extend my gratitude to the City of Dublin. On a personal note, this is a dream come true for me because Dublin has been home for my custom framing business for the past 27 years… As a local business member and as well as an artist in this city, in this community, I have always wanted to be able to share my passion of the arts with the local and surrounding communities.I am proud to call Dublin Cultural Arts Center, home."

Kelly Paschal-Hunter, Art Curator and DAC Member commented "I'm so honored to have been invited to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony, for the new Dublin Cultural Arts Center at City Hall. I know my mother is smiling down at this very moment. As an artist herself, my mother saw the potential this community had to grow a thriving arts space. My mother purchased her home in Dublin, 8 years after the city was incorporated in 1982 and always wanted the city to develop an arts district. This is for you mom!"

The Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission will receive a report on the draft Cultural Arts
Center Business Plan on Thursday, November 10 at 7pm.

The Cultural Arts Center will take over the former police headquarters on the first floor of the Dublin Civic Center. Grand opening will be in 2024.