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Parksville Art Center finds home

By Matt Shortall
Posted 11/5/21

PARKSVILLE — Individuals hoping to breathe new life into Parksville envision this small hamlet could one day become a thriving arts community. That vision took another step forward recently …

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Parksville Art Center finds home

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PARKSVILLE — Individuals hoping to breathe new life into Parksville envision this small hamlet could one day become a thriving arts community. That vision took another step forward recently when local residents Todd and Adrian Perlmutter announced the new Parksville Arts Center would be based out of the historic former Synagogue at 2 Main Street.

The Perlmutters, assisted by a board of local artists, producers and programmers, plan to renovate the building in order to foster the creative community through art, music and cinema.

The Tefereth Israel Anshei Parksville Synagogue was built in the early 20th century and hosted generations of worshippers. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, but has sat mostly empty for years.

“It’s a really cool historic building,” said Todd. “Just from being up here and meeting a lot of local artists and musicians, we decided to make it a non-profit art center.”

It’s been a long process, with Todd saying they began looking at the potential of the building about five years ago. While renovations only recently began, Todd says they want to insulate the building and add an HVAC system so it can be used year round.

“We’re trying to keep the footprint of the historic building the same, but make it a sturdier, more robust building,” he explained.

That includes restoring the original oak floors they found beneath the carpet and the original tin ceiling hidden behind a drop ceiling. They also plan to update exterior doors and windows for security and insulation while at the same time providing a view to the Little Beaver Kill that runs behind the property.

The Perlmutters both have years of experience in theater and production, with Todd having worked as music director and creative director for the Blue Man Group for about 19 years.

Todd has owned property around Hunter Lake since 2007. Both musicians, Todd and Adrian have performed locally at various local venues, including Cabernet Frank's down the block from the Parksville Synagogue.

“We started spending more and more time here and eventually it was just a better quality of life than being in the city … it just seemed like we could do everything we wanted to do up here,” Todd said.

The Perlmutters teamed up with other local artists, including Marcus Brooks and James Karpowicz, to turn the dream of a Parksville Arts Center into reality.

“I think a big part about it is getting connected to the community of Main Street,” said Karpowicz. “There’s been a lot of momentum from individuals who are coming in and doing renovations on buildings. There’s a big arts community that has been fairly scattered. Besides places like Livingston Manor, the Parksville aspect of it was always disparate. This now brings it together.”

Brooks says that, besides Cabernet Franks as a venue for live music, there’s been little space in Parksville for artists to gather or collaborate.

“To have a space like this where people can come and do shows and things like that is super important to the community,” Brooks said.

Anyone interested in donating to the Parksville Arts Center can find more information at www.parksvilleartscenter.com

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