December 25, 2002

Opera House invites cherub charity

For $5,000 gift, artists will paint likeness of child in cherub motif
By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer

      Just in time for Christmas, the City Opera House Heritage Association, offers a gift idea for those who truly have everything.
      A special donation will make families feel like old-world royalty by honoring a child, family-member or friend as the face of a cherub in the soon to be renovated dome ceiling. Artists from New Millennium, a group of nationally known restoration artists based out of Suttons Bay, will restore the original 1890s decorative motifs to the one-of-a-kind ceiling and dome.
      The likeness of a child, under the age of three, from the past or present, will be based on a photograph and transformed to Baroque style and tradition for a gift of $5,000. The expert artists will integrate facial features on ten cherubs depicted in the Victorian-era facility.
      For a gift of $1,000, a family name will be added to the band directly above the rim of the dome's historic lighting.
      "Very soon, we'll look upward and see this community's future in the eyes of our many friends who have supported the vision for restoration," said City Opera House Heritage Association's executive director, Gerie Greenspan.
      The current mini-campaign will raise $88,400 to restore the vaulted ceiling and dome, enhanced by the historic lighting scheme.
      With dome repair completed in the last few weeks, decorative painting is expected to begin in January. To achieve the best results on a variety of period designs that include nearly 30 colors, conditions inside the City Opera House must be closely monitored in terms of temperature and humidity. When completed, a period chandelier will be added to the space.
      Once the dome restoration campaign concludes, efforts will move on to other priorities such as dramatically expanding the lobby, reinforcing the balcony and doubling audience capacity.
      The City is preparing to conclude construction by spring 2003 and re-open the space by early summer. Further fund-raising will continue to achieve the balance of the architectural plans by 2005. Currently undergoing some $4 million in construction, from an $8.5 million total project cost, the City Opera House will become a showplace facility for frequent public use. The downtown facility will be professionally equipped and managed as a community arts venue to serve multiple interests within the five county region.
      In the past 15 years the City Opera House has welcomed more than 250,000 guests to the oldest of three period opera houses in Michigan left historically intact.
      For more information on the City Opera House, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, call 941-8082 or visit the City Opera House Heritage Association offices above Stewart-Zacks at 118 1/2 East Front St.