Bend’s east side will be the home of a new Art Station building, offering enhanced art programs for locals. Bend Park and Recreation District announced it will build the Art Station at Larkspur Park, following a Sept. 19 agreement by the board of directors. District staff estimate the facility will open by summer 2026.
For years, the Art Station offered programs including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, pottery and more. The district had been exploring potential sites for the station and eventually recommended Larkspur Park, where BPRD had been running youth and adult art programs since spring 2022, along with sites including the Harmon Hobby Hut and various Bend area schools.
“Constructing a new facility for the Art Station at Larkspur Park provides considerable opportunities for shared staffing, co-programming and scheduling coordination,” said Matt Mercer, recreation services director, in a press release. “The placement within a park also provides direct connection to both developed and natural areas that will enhance art programming and ignite creativity for youth and adults.”
Art Station programs were previously offered by Arts Central, an umbrella organization for several different art programs, before the not-for-profit organization closed in 2016. BPRD kept the Art Station in operation in the old train depot building in the Old Mill, owned by the Old Mill District.
Art Station programs continued for several years in the depot building that had housed art programs for over 20 years, until the lease ended in March 2022. The growth of the amphitheater required the Old Mill to utilize the building to support its event programs.
A press release from 2021 stated that the district planned to find a new, long-term location for the Art Station, hoping to find a location that had ample indoor and outdoor space that would allow more program offerings and support the specific needs of all art programs. The construction of a new facility will allow the space to be specifically designed to meet program needs. Funding for the $2.5 million Art Station building will come from BPRD’s Capital Improvement Plan budget, including $500,000 from the current fiscal year and $2 million from the 2024-25 fiscal year budget, according to a press release.
This article appears in Source Weekly September 28, 2023.
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