Published: October 12, 2008 11:32 pm      

NACC: A higher profile for the old high school.

A lot of people still don’t know the NACC.

They’ve seen the sculptures on the front lawn and seem to understand something artsy is going on inside. But, apparently, many people don’t know exactly what’s happening in the former Niagara Falls High School on Pine Avenue that now holds two art galleries, a theater, nearly 60 artist studios and rental space for all kinds of events.

To be fair, it has only been a handful of years since the building opened officially as the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center — nicknamed the NACC — but a push is under way to broaden community understanding and support for all that goes on behind that red entrance door on Portage Road.

A $300,000 grant from the Oishei Foundation has allowed the NACC to hire three new staffers and ramp up fund raising, revenue and community awareness.

Bob Drozdowski, the new director of operations and marketing, knows firsthand how the outside world views the NACC, because before his first visit, he also wondered what went on at the site.

His first visit to the NACC for last year’s “Art of Beer” allowed him to savor not only the brews, food and music of the night, but also the potential of the center. “I was pleasantly surprised at what a great time it was. It was a vibrant, fun event,” he said.

Drozdowski, who spent the last two decades in sales and marketing on the West Coast, is currently visiting area businesses to gather sponsorships and to sell the NACC as a conference and event center. He will be joined in his efforts by Trudy Christman, the new director of development, who was hired in July to fortify membership and fundraising efforts. It’s also her job to help promote upcoming events, including the Holiday Open House-Open Studio event, Nov. 21, which will debut the new NACC gift shop and bistro.

“We want people to know they can come here and do their holiday shopping and support the arts at the same time,” Christman said.

The NACC has been undergoing continuous renovations since it opened, including a recently completed $1 million roof replacement. The Grand Theater is next on the list to receive enhancements, according to Kathie Kudela, the executive director; another estimated $1 million will be spent there to enhance seating and acoustics.

And while the region may not quite appreciate or understand the NACC just yet, people around the state are starting to watch the center grow as a vibrant arts location, Kudela said. She notes that after she attended several New York arts conferences, “they have been talking about us all over the state.”

The executive director of the New York State Council on the Arts recently called the NACC a “miracle and a model,” for other such cultural centers, Kudela said.

Kudela said those looking to step inside the NACC can attend an event at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 17, which will kick off the “Building Blocks of Wellness Campaign,” being sponsored by the Healthy Living Partnership of Niagara County. That event will feature inspirational music by local choirs and a gallery opening by artist Jonathan Rogers. Future events are listed on www.thenacc.org.

Those who visit the NACC may be surprised by the energy and color inside, but as an artistic creation, the place will always be a work in progress. “These are the early days,” Kudela said, smiling. “We don’t know how it’s going to end up.”