50th ANNIVERSARY PLANS AT SWEETWATER CENTER FOR THE ARTS CALL FOR RENOVATING THE GALLERY AND COMMUNITY ROOM. THESE ARE ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS OF THE PLANS BY SHELTON DESIGNS. | IMAGE BY SHELTON DESIGNS

In 1973, three women met to discuss the lack of artistic programming in the Sewickley area.

The trio sought support from several Pittsburgh organizations to help fund classes and other endeavors, but had no luck. So they reached out to the community to see if they could start their own organization, and the results were positive.

Alice Snyder, Trudy Hetherington and Smokey Jack became the founding mothers of the Sweetwater Center for the Arts, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary with plans to establish its first endowment, make improvements to its building, outfit and launch a mobile art shuttle bus and more.

The center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing accessible arts education and cultural programming to diverse audiences. It offers 400 classes, workshops and lectures annually for people of all ages and skill levels.

As the center celebrates its history, it’s also looking forward with establishing its first endowment, the Oliver Family Endowment, to create a sustainable future for the art center.

“Our goal for the 50th anniversary was to have $1 million in the endowment by the end of 2030,” says Christine Brondyke, executive director of the Sweetwater Center for the Arts. “We are committed and pledged 60% of the way.”

The Oliver family, founding patrons of Sweetwater and a prominent family in Sewickley, also recently funded the Oliver Family Lobby & Gallery, which opened at the arts center in January.

Additionally, Sweet Ride, a mobile art unit to bring free arts education all over Pittsburgh, will play a role in the anniversary celebration.

“Our focus has always been to reach out into the community and not just hit Sewickley,” Brondyke says, “It’s been a challenge to overcome that perception.”

The center is working with collaborators from Sewickley and nationally to renovate a 2017 Ford Micro Bird. Leanne Ford, nationally known interior designer and a Sewickley resident, will be among the collaborators.

THE SWEETWATER CENTER FOR THE ARTS HAS OPERATED OUT OF SEWICKLEY’S OLD POST OFFICE BUILDING ON BROAD STREET SINCE 1988. | COURTESY SWEETWATER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

“It has two missions, the first mission is to bring arts education out into the communities that need it most,” Brondyke says about Sweet Ride. In communities with transportation issues, Sweet Ride will act as an accessible creative outlet.

“Secondly, the interior of the space will be fabricated so that it is a mobile art gallery,” she says. Their goal is to get Sweet Ride to as many spring, summer and fall festivals as possible to provide free educational programming and act as a space for artists to sell their work.

Renovations to make the center more accessible are also in the plans for this year. Over the last two years Sweetwater has been working with State Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R-Moon), to collect funding to install an elevator. The center also is finishing the renovation of a studio for neurodivergent patrons by removing excessive stimulus from the room.

The organization also is launching a capital campaign to improve other spaces in the building, beginning with the renovation of the community room, which is being renamed The Founders Room, to honor Alice Snyder, Trudy Hetherington and Smokey Jack.

“One of the shifts in our vision for the next 50 years is to dedicate ourselves to helping the artists within our membership advance within their creative careers,” Brondyke says.

To celebrate the anniversary, the arts center began the year exhibiting “A Sweet Retrospective,” featuring all the marketing materials from their events over the last 50 years. It closed on Feb. 21.

Sweetwater started in a much smaller building when the nonprofit was established in October 1974, a few months after the executive board was elected and bylaws were passed.

PHOTO COURTESY SWEETWATER CENTER FOR THE ARTS

That same October, they had their first Founding Patrons Drive, during which 42 individuals were asked to donate $220 and become original founders. They were also successful in obtaining donations from local businesses and organizations.

The start-up money from the drive allowed the organization to rent a small yellow house on Thorn Street for $90 a month. Their first board meeting was held in December and the doors opened to the public in January 1975.

However, the small yellow house didn’t host the organization for long. As the number of classes and programs quickly grew, the organization needed larger space. It found that in the Old Sewickley Post Office at 200 Broad St., where it has operated since 1988.