Like most students who live off campus, I come to Baldwin once a day and that is to go to my classes only and then I leave. But when I was asked to write a story about artist Jim Sallenbach for the Baker Orange, I had to stay an extra hour in town just to go to the Lumberyard Arts Center.
Now, I had heard of this arts center before, but merely in passing. I never took the time out of my busy day to stop in and check it out. So I grudgingly walked three minutes from campus to the center, and when I saw the outside of the building, I ungenerously admitted that it was a pretty cool space.
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It wasn’t until I walked inside and talked to Gallery Coordinator Sandy Gardens that I realized how much this place actually had to offer.
The center not only has yoga and painting classes, but it also holds wedding receptions and private parties. There is a small space where artists, such as Sallenbach, can showcase their work, and currently a small theater is being built in the back of the building, where small productions and classical movies can be shown.
On top of its offered amenities, the building located at 718 High St. is beautiful. The arts center renovated the Ives-Hartley Lumber Co. building into a place where community members can come and embrace the arts.
The center even had an a Halloween costume swap, which was Oct. 7, and will have a gingerbread house party Dec. 8.
Who wouldn’t want to join in on that fun?
What amazes me is that as a Baker University student, I never knew some of what the small town of Baldwin City actually had to offer. I think that it is common for students to think that the only thing they can get out of this town is education and the occasional cheeseburger from Sonic.
It’s important for students to not only be members of our small Baker community, but to be active members of the Baldwin community as well. It’s hard to compete with a big town like Lawrence, but Baldwin offers a lot of cool things, too. It’s just a matter of finding out about them.
The Lumberyard Arts Center is only one of many cool things about this town that students overlook. I just hope with more education and exploration of Baldwin City, students won’t automatically feel the need to travel to Lawrence for their fulfillment of fun.
