The Kemp Center for the Arts is a local museum where students and the community can view professional art, participate in events or take classes.

“The best thing about the Kemp Center for the Arts is that it’s not just an art gallery,” Nancy Scott, assistant director of the center, said. “We offer art lessons for children and adults, weddings, rentals of our ball room and have different events throughout the year.”

After walking in the front door, two staircases to the left and right lead to the Great Hall, which has a display of both art and architecture, and a room used for weddings, receptions, events, recitals and anything that stays within the center’s regulations.

One of the biggest events held in the room is the Oct. 25 Karneval, where local artists put their work on display and sign the back to hide their identities. Potential buyers then bid on the art, which raises money for the center.

“The center rents, teaches and holds art events like the Karneval for two main reasons,” Scott said. “One is that all the artwork displayed is local so we want to show off all the unseen talent in our area. Two is because we really want to give back to the community.”

Although the center holds weddings and other events from time to time, the art galleries change every six to eight weeks, giving multiple perspectives of art.

The art of Steve Grey now hangs in the main gallery, called the NorthLight gallery because it is the room with the purest light.  For contemporary artist Grey, it’s his second exhibit in NorthLight.

“We never let people display their art more than once,” Scott said, “but since Grey has done so much for our community and gallery we made an exception.”

Since its official opening in 2002, the center has been able to stay afloat by two main financial resources.

“We are so blessed to stay open,” Scott said, “our center only runs on donations and grants by the people and the city.”

Grants and donations are the reason students and families can visit the center throughout the year. Without them, local professional artists like Grey wouldn’t be able to display their art.

“One of the things we stress most is that the center is whatever you make of it,” Carol Sales, director of the center, said. “Art is different for each person so whatever you want it to be is what it is.”