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COLLEGE STATION - With the help of the Center of Community Support, the Huntsville Arts Commission is turning a 19th century mansion into an arts center for the community to enjoy. Huntsville, a town of 35,000 people, is the home of Texas hero Sam Houston. Once known as the Athens of Texas, the town has long enjoyed a strong culture with much of the arts stimulus being provided within Sam Houston State University and augmented by a countywide array of folk artists. The Huntsville Arts Commission recently led an effort in their community to transform a 19th century mansion, known as The Wynne Home, into a community cultural arts center for the benefit of the residents of Huntsville and visitors. The Texas Engineering Experiment Station’s (TEES) Center for Community Support (CCS) assisted the Huntsville Arts Commission when they were seeking funds for renovation of the Wynne Home. CCS’s Erin Logan and Linda Pease, cultural service coordinator for the city of Huntsville, prepared a grant proposal for The Powell Foundation, which resulted in a $30,000 grant to help fund the Wynne Home project. Huntsville has long been in need of an ongoing program that is focused on bringing families, especially youth, together for creative and enriching experiences, Pease said. These positive experiences will be possible because of the new Wynne Home Arts Center through a broad offering of arts exhibitions, arts classes and cultural events. One of the primary programs within the center will be a year-round art museum and gallery. The Wynne Home Arts Center will stimulate an active cultural life, a significant factor in attracting new industry to a community, she said. Cultural organizations and civic centers are important to the well-rounded community: this center will help to make Huntsville more attractive to prospective residents. The Center for Community Support helps nonprofit and public organizations in Texas with various aspects of grant proposal preparation. Writer/Contact: Erin Logan Center for Community Support (979) 458-3239 ELogan@ppri-nw.tamu.edu http://ppri.tamu.edu/ccs/home.htm 7/10/02 NR 1046