The Arts Council turned 50 in 2003!

Programs and staffing:

The Ketchikan Arts Council began in 1953 and in 1970 the organization was incorporated as the Ketchikan Arts Council. In 1975, we had our first Blueberry Arts Festival. The name was changed to the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council in 1980. The KAAHC is recognized by the City of Ketchikan as the official agency responsible for the advancement of the arts in the community. For many years the KAAHC was operated from the home of volunteers. By 1980 a part-time executive director was hired and by 1981 the position became full-time. 1985 saw the origination of the first annual Wearable Art Fashion Runway Show. By 1987, growth in programs and services and an increase in KAAHC member group involvement required the addition of a full-time administrative assistant, which was upgraded to a full-time program director position in 1990.

In 1998, the annual Gigglefeet Dance Festival was launched. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruise Lines underwrite the Blueberry Arts Festival, providing for a dramatic increase in summer programming. This and other expansions of KAAHC programming necessitated adding a halftime office manager which became full time in 2001, and was upgraded to operations manager in 2004. The KAAHC is currently staffed by three full-time professionals.

Facilities:

In 1984, the KAAHC moved its office to the Main Street Theatre. During 1985, the First City Players, management group of the theater, received a capital grant from the Alaska State Council on the Arts to renovate the space. With this grant, community fundraising, and the work of dedicated volunteers, 338 Main Street became a black box theater, gallery, meeting, and creative use space.

In 2001, the KAAHC, First City Players and Ketchikan Theatre Ballet joined forces for the creation of a new Ketchikan Community Center for the Arts (KCCA). A volunteer Steering Committee, along with project staff, has made significant strides in developing this project, with support from the City of Ketchikan, the Alaska State Legislature, the Celebration Foundation, the Fairweather Foundation, and the partner organizations. In 2005, the KCCA selected White Cliff School as the preferred site for the KCCA, in partnership with Ketchikan Senior Citizens Services. In 2006 the bond to secure the White Cliff School was unsuccessful.

Since 2002 the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council and Mainstay Gallery is at home on Creek Street in downtown Ketchikan. Our building sits directly behind the Totem Pole at 716 Totem Way.