By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Construction of Field Arts and Events Hall, stalled during the pandemic, will resume on August 1, announced Executive Director Steven Raider-Ginsburg at Thursday’s news conference. And while he was at the podium, Raider-Ginsburg also told us when Port Angeles’ new waterfront performance venue would open.
“It’s big news that our Covid-induced construction pause will be over. Field Arts and Events Hall will be open to the public July 1, 2023.”
Raider-Ginsberg had one more bit of news to announce. Invoking the name of the Port Angeles resident that started it all with a $9 million bequest, we learned Field Hall’s new tag line.
“I’d also like to announce today our tagline, as Field Arts and Events Hall will be known as Field Hall For All. We believe this honors Donna Morris’s love for Port Angeles, the arts, and the vibrant arts culture that exists here. Donna believed that the performance groups and the residents of Port Angeles deserves a world-class venue, and here it is. And it’s truly for everyone.”
Speakers at the news conference included Mayor Kate Dexter, State Rep. Steve Tharinger, and Board President Brooke Taylor, who announced the Take A Seat fundraising campaign. The 500 seats in the performance hall are available for naming rights with a 4-tier price point, from $2,500 up to $10,000, and donors will have 5 years to pay them off.
The final speaker was Port Angeles’ own US Congressman Derek Kilmer, who spoke of the long-term value that investment in the arts will bring.
“I say I’m excited to be here, in part, because this is progress. There’s a saying that change is inevitable but progress is optional. The potential to host big conferences here, events here, matters not just to the dollars and cents of this facility. It matters to every restaurant in town, every hotel and bed and breakfast in town, every bookshop in town, every small business in town, that will benefit from that. So, that’s pretty cool That is progress for this community.”
The news conference also featured what was likely the building’s first public performance; a song from members of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
To find out more about Field Arts and Events Hall For All, including how you can become a donor, visit fieldhallevents.org.
(Staff photo shows progress on the 500-seat performance hall from the top of the balcony. The people below are standing on what will be the stage)