It’s 7 p.m. and suddenly the once-short line stretches out the door and around the corner of the building. Above the crowd is a lit marquee listing the productions they are about to see and along both sides of the entrance movie posters hang. The throng of people push past the popcorn counter into the mouth of the double doors until the almost 400-seat complex is filled. The lights dim until the seated viewers are virtually gone with the dark, and with the light of the screen, the murmur of the crowd goes silent. It’s a night not unlike any other at The Art Theater in downtown Champaign, but after nearly 100 years of existence, it is now running the risk of extinction.
The theater has outlived six wars, 17 presidents and a range of technological advances within the very industry it occupies. Films were characterized by black and white, silence and small screens that have now been replaced by explosive surround sound, 3D screens and color. But there is an advancement that now has the theater in trouble: digital filmmaking.
Please join us this afternoon, Sunday, Feb. 12, to view the “Electrifying Minnesota” traveling exhibit. This is the last day the exhibit will be at the Freeborn County Historical Museum. The museum will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. for your convenience. Admission for this special open house is any donation, which will be designated to the building expansion fund. This will also be the last day for the exhibit from Freeborn Mower Coop Service highlighting their 75th year in business. These two exhibits are a perfect match to share the story of electrification brought to rural areas of Minnesota.
With theaters now being left with no choice but to use digital equipment, the Art Theater will need to purchase $80,000 worth of equipment. These expenses, however, are not within the theater’s financial reach due to a lower revenue source as a single-screen theater specializing in art films.
In an attempt to save the theater and buy the necessary equipment, the theater has decided that for the first time in its history, they will no longer be a private business but will instead form a co-op. The co-op would enable anyone with a $65 payment to own a share of the theater and have a voice in its direction. The goal of the theater is to raise $100,000 by October, and if they don’t, then the Art Theater will shut down.
I am hearing there seems to be a little misconception by individuals in our community that the museum is just a place for old people to visit, and I would like to clear up that wrong conception. Each year between 2,500 and 3,000 area students visit our museum for tours, programs, activities and special events. We have visitors from 36 to 40 states and 12 to 16 foreign countries per year. We have an excellent program called Discover History Day — this program involves 11th-graders teaching fifth-graders about history with hands-on activities during an all day event held at the museum with adults as mentors and a great experience for all involved. We continue to look for new ways to involve youth in programs at the museum and to peak their interest in the history of our county and its people.