MARINETTE (NBC 26) — For six decades the Bay Shore Arts Center has cultivated an arts culture for the rural, Marinette County community.
- Bay Shore Arts Center is a community theater that acts as a resource for local artists and organizations.
- The Center is currently at the old UWGB Marinette campus.
- The organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
On Thursday, an impactful mural exhibit is unveiled at Bay Shore Arts Center.
“This is really a celebration of their ability to continue living and to continue finding joy and hope in their life," art therapist Marissa Biswabic says.
Biswabic works for Rainbow House, a domestic violence support organization with offices in Marinette and Oconto.
She is an art therapist at the organization, and she helped create the Threads of Survivorshop mural exhibition.
She worked with domestic violence survivors to create hand painted murals.
“Let’s tell the stories of these people who have been through something really really scary, and really really hard, but in a way that really celebrates their strength and their resilience," she says.
The exhibit is displayed in the Bay Shore Art Center's fine arts gallery.
“Huge to be able to have an exhibition space for art work, huge to have spaces dedicated to recognizing the value of the arts," Biswabic says. "This would not be possible without Bay Shore Arts Center existing.”
While Biswabic is displaying murals, actors are rehearsing a play at the Bay Shore Arts theater.
“It's theater music and arts in a variety of ways," Lauryn Albaugh, center director, says.
The Center is more than just a theater, it's a place for artists to work on their craft and a place for the community to come together.
“We really do strive to be a resource for our community, so we engage with a lot of artists and actors, from ages seven to 70 plus," Albaugh says.
This year, Bay Shore Arts is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
“It’s had a lot of different shapes and forms over the 60 years," Albaugh says. “For a rural community, it is something to be excited about, I mean that’s a milestone for any community theater."
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Albough says through whatever future changes, they hope to continue being a community resource for another 60 years.
“We really are built by and for the community," she says. "Art programming matters because it contributes to your community's ecosystem.”
