Late in 2020, then-Mayor Philip Vandernail persuaded the Town of Fraser to give a piece of land next to the Fraser River to the town's public arts committee so it could build an arts center. Steve Fitzgerald, a ceramics artist and businessman, sat on that committee. In a Colorado Sun story by Tracy Ross that Fraser Valley Arts later reposted, Fitzgerald remembered how it began: "They came to me and said we've got this idea as part of helping to rebrand the city and create a real cultural enrichment for the citizens."
He had spent most of his career in corporate jobs. He said yes anyway, and Fraser Valley Arts became a 501(c)(3) in January 2021. Nearly six years later the project has a site, a rendering, an architect search underway and several million dollars committed. Its president says most of that support came from within the community. The building's name will wait on its final design, so the next few weeks are a good time to show up.
Where the Money Came From
The planned Fraser Valley Arts Center is about 19,000 square feet, on two or three stories. Director Cassidi Peterson has described a theater, a gallery, maker and teaching spaces, and a bar or café. She estimated the build-out at $8 million to $12 million.
As of late August 2026, the center had about $5.4 million secured, according to Sky-Hi News. That was well above the "at least $4 million" Fitzgerald expected when the Colorado Sun interviewed him earlier in the summer. The late-summer jump came from a handful of commitments, several of them from Fraser residents and Fraser institutions.
| Source | Commitment | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Town of Fraser | Riverside land, donated late 2020 | Colorado Sun, via FVA |
| An anonymous Fraser resident | $2 million, plus earlier gifts, earning naming rights for 30 years | Sky-Hi News, Aug. 28, 2026 |
| Rendezvous Foundation | $500,000 construction grant | Sky-Hi News, Aug. 28, 2026 |
| Martha and Patrick Michelson, Fraser residents | Gift funding an artist-in-residence program | Sky-Hi News, Aug. 28, 2026 |
| Fraser Mountain Mural Festival | More than $15,000 from People's Choice voting and mural sales | Sky-Hi News, Aug. 28, 2026 |
| Fraser Downtown Development Authority | 2% of future net revenue for a decade, once annual net revenue passes $75,000 | Sky-Hi News, Aug. 28, 2026 |
The Michelsons became the 23rd members of a 25-slot Founders Circle, so just two founding spots are left. The DDA pledge hasn't started yet. The authority expects to reach the $75,000 trigger within the next few years. In its own July update, Fraser Valley Arts also credited support from the Towns of Fraser, Winter Park and Granby, Grand County, the Winter Park & Fraser Chamber and Grand Foundation.
Fitzgerald, now president of Fraser Valley Arts, pointed out who was paying. "What makes it especially meaningful is that most of that support has come from within our own community," he said in the release reported by Sky-Hi News.
The $5.4 million is still short of the low end of the $8 million to $12 million estimate. In July, Fraser Valley Arts said it expected to borrow the rest through a Colorado Education and Cultural Facilities Authority bond. It also said a state Colorado Community Revitalization Tax Credit, which it was a finalist for, could add to the total.
What Hasn't Been Decided Yet
With much of the money coming from the community, the next decisions are about what Fraser gets for it.
The architect. Fraser Valley Arts released a request for proposals for architectural services in July 2026, with proposals due September 4 at 5 p.m. When Sky-Hi News reported the $2 million gift in late August, no firm had been chosen. The paper wrote that construction "could begin as early as 2027" once one is.
The name. The anonymous donor holds naming rights. Sky-Hi News reported that the name will be "finalized and announced after the architectural design process is complete." That puts the name after the design, so it's at least one design cycle away.
The finish line. Dates are still targets. A caption on the rendering in the Colorado Sun story says the center is planned "by 2028." At the Fraser Public Arts Committee meeting on September 10, 2026, Fitzgerald said announcements about the center could come in the next year or two.
The neighborhood around it. The building will sit on the east side of U.S. 40, along the river. It is meant to anchor Fraser's planned Riverwalk District, a few blocks of mixed-use space behind a couple of existing businesses. The mural park and the nearly life-size bronze of Jack Kerouac are already there. Mayor Brian Cerkvenik said in the August release that he expects the center to bring in visitors who would also support nearby businesses.
Your November Window
Before construction starts, Fraser Valley Arts is holding a month of programs at the Fraser Valley Public Library, 421 Norgren Road. The organization says the purpose is to share its plans and ask for input.
- November 1–30: FVA Gallery at the library. Fraser Valley Arts calls it "Imagine What's Possible." It is a free gallery that runs all month and celebrates the history and creativity of the valley.
- Thursday, November 5, 5–8 p.m.: Community conversation. Fraser Valley Arts will "introduce the vision for the new FVA Gallery and invite the community to be part of its development."
- Thursday, November 12, 4–6 p.m.: Fraser Valley Arts & The Community. A free session for local nonprofits, community organizations and other partners about the future Art Center's programming, needs and partnerships.
If you run a nonprofit or a youth program, or you've wanted a place to teach a class, the November 12 session is the one aimed at you. The November 5 evening is open to everyone. Both happen before the center's name is announced, since that waits on the finished design.
December brings two more Fraser Valley Arts events. Both are good chances to talk with the people behind the project.
- Friday, December 4, noon–8 p.m.: Festival of Trees at Grand Park Community Recreation Center, 1 Main Street. This year's theme is "America the Beautiful," and Fraser Valley Arts is participating.
- Sunday, December 6, noon–10 p.m.: Holiday Market. It spreads across many downtown Fraser businesses, with local artists selling handmade goods, plus music, children's crafts and drinks.
The Art Scene the Center Will House
The building is being funded for an arts scene that already exists. The Colorado Sun story points out that painter Elizabeth Kurtak has run her gallery on East Eisenhower Drive since 2003. It also mentions watercolorist Greg McFadden's house readings, along with Charles Clayton, whose family helped settle Fraser in the early 1900s and who wrote a book about the town filled with historical photos.
Before the land donation, the public arts committee was already behind the Fraser Mountain Mural Festival and Fraser Fire & Ice. Since then, Fraser Valley Arts has added National Theatre Live screenings, the Alpine Art Affair, Plein Air @ Altitude, holiday markets and rotating mini-galleries to its lineup.
This year's Plein Air @ Altitude, the sixth, drew 30 artists. Virginia Unseld judged, and the winners were Mike Wilson, Alley Kocinski, Charlie Gould, Cary Kennedy, Kelly Allen and Kathleen Reilly. Fraser Valley Arts says the event will return in 2027. The mural festival also paid into the building fund. Visitors who voted for a People's Choice favorite or bought a mural this summer helped raise more than $15,000 for construction.
Right now these programs are spread across the library, the rec center, downtown storefronts and outdoor walls along the highway. Once it's built, the Riverwalk building will give the theater nights, classes, mini-galleries and artist residencies one permanent home on the river, next to the Kerouac statue.
At Roxanne King, we follow Fraser closely, and this project is one we'll be watching from the first design drawings to opening day. If you have questions about what the Riverwalk District could mean for your corner of the valley, or you'd just like to compare notes after the November 5 conversation, reach out to Roxy anytime.
