TFAC is currently midway into a fund drive to raise $75,000 to support the operation of the 44-year-old community facility.

“The arts belong to everyone, but providing high quality programming including music, visual art, and education, comes at a cost,” said Executive Director Beth Child. “Tryon Fine Arts Center strives to bring award-winning music, arts education for toddlers to teens, world class visual arts exhibits and provide facilities for our patrons to be entertained, to be educated, and to be stimulated.”

As with many arts organizations, much of the programming is offered free of charge or at low cost, and tickets sold for events don’t cover costs. According to the national arts advocacy group, Americans for the Arts, the top reason to support the arts is that they represent “true prosperity . . . The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts help us express our values, build bridges between cultures, and bring us together regardless of ethnicity, religion or age. When times are tough, art is salve for the ache.”