Early last year, the United Methodist Church of Wappingers merged with the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church, leaving its church at 9 S. Mesier Ave. in Wappingers Falls vacant.
Now River Valley Arts Center, a community-focused arts center and event facility, will fill the space.
Founder Michelle Martinetti, a Wappingers Falls native who now lives with her family in Poughkeepsie, was inspired by what she saw as an opportunity in a void ”” of both a vacant space in a historical building and a community that doesn”™t have a resource like this yet.
“There are many great art programs, music programs, entertainment venues, etc. locally ”” but the idea of having it all available under one roof was very exciting and the basis for the idea,” Martinetti said.
Martinetti”™s background is mainly in marketing and nonprofit fundraising and development, but her passion for the arts and starting this project also stems from her early love of playing musical instruments and, later on, teaching them along with behind-the-scenes involvement in theater productions.
She hopes that this space in the village of Wappingers will help to revitalize the area and bring more people into it, thus uplifting other nearby businesses as well and making the area more of a community hub once again, especially after the hardships inflicted on small businesses as a result of the pandemic.
“The village of Wappingers has seen some serious tragedy over the past several years and it is on the cusp of this amazing revitalization,” Martinetti said. “The remaining businesses and the multitude of new ones coming in are really helping the village become everything it deserves to be. I’m hoping with the River Valley Arts Center we can play a role in this revitalization, bringing people to the village who will then frequent other local establishments to eat, drink and shop.”
With sights set on a December opening, Martinetti is now working with contractors to finish renovations.
Although the footprint of the building will not change, the church”™s former school annex soon will be fully outfitted with 12 separate new spaces that offer community organizations and businesses the opportunity to hold classes or events in person ”” even if they don”™t have their own permanent physical spaces.
“We are upgrading and beautifying the spaces ”” new bathrooms, floors, walls, ceilings, lighting, upgraded HVAC and ADA access,” Martinetti said. “We will have about 12 unique spaces in the former school annex of the property. They include 10 studio spaces of varying sizes, a community conference room, and a commissary kitchen.”
The studio spaces range from 140 to 1,275 square feet, providing amenities from tables, chairs, whiteboards and coffee machines to pianos, music stands and mirrors and a barre for dance classes.
They can be rented for long-term use of three months or more, on a month-to-month basis or for one-time use, on an hourly basis.
The kitchen features both commercial and residential gas stoves and ovens, prep tables, a commercial reach-in refrigerator, a three-compartment sink and microwave. Kitchen use rates are based on an hourly price depending on the three-month membership level a member chooses, or can be rented on an hourly or daily basis for nonmembers.
The arts center is aiming for individuals or groups centered around music, performing arts, visual arts, yoga, culinary arts, photography, writing, language arts, robotics and STEM to utilize its resources, although it is open to groups or individuals of any kind, and could be a boon to many of those who otherwise could not afford space to host programming.
“We have many people interested in utilizing the space as a long-term resident who wouldn’t otherwise be able to host their programs because they cannot afford the overhead of owning their own space,” Martinetti said.
So far, many local micro- and small businesses and programs are committed to utilizing River Valley Arts Center once it opens, including Barre with Kelly, Bodhi Yoga, DMulcahy Photography, Mindfulness with Jess, Personal Plates and Robotics4U which are all listed as residents of the center on its website.
Martinetti also said that the arts center is anticipating hosting some of its own in-house programs as well.
Additionally, the church itself will soon become an events space affiliated with the River Valley Arts Center, called Sanctuary Hall.
The 2,100-square foot hall will have the capacity to host 175 guests seated or 350 standing, for events spanning community, corporate and private interest, from theater productions to cocktail parties to fundraisers.
Sanctuary Hall will open later in 2022, although a specific date has not yet been set.
