Paradise Arts, Theatre & Culture Hub

Concepts

The idea for PATCH was first articulated in the post-Camp Fire Long-Term Recovery Plan, adopted by the Town of Paradise in June 2019. We’ve come a long way since then.

In January 2019 — two months after the Camp Fire — board members of Gold Nugget Museum and Norton Buffalo Hall Foundation met over beers to discuss survival. Both had lost their facilities and nine-tenths of their volunteer and audience base. They recognized that by locating next to each other they could get the traction needed to someday thrive again.

The idea grew during the Town of Paradise’s Long-Term Community Recovery Plan process. The idea was identified in the Town’s adopted Plan as a Tier 3, Partner-led Project that would make Paradise “Better.”

Beginning in 2020 — and as personal and organizational recovery continued through the pandemic years — more organizations expressed interest.

Today, Paradise Arts, Theatre & Culture Hub (PATCH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit collaboration of four core arts and culture orgs.

• Theatre on the Ridge (TOTR)

• Paradise Art Center (PAC)

• Gold Nugget Museum (GNM)

• Norton Buffalo Hall Foundation (NBHF)

PATCH also benefits from the guidance Paradise Recreation & Park District (PRPD), with whom we work under a memo of understanding. 

The aim: to create a vibrant arts and culture district in the walkable downtown of Paradise — not a palace for the arts, but a collaborative home for some of our most beloved arts and culture institutions.

A magnetic “hub” drawing arts & culture seekers to Paradise.

Whether configured side-by-side or as an arts district, an operational PATCH collaboration could generate 29,000 or more local and tourist visits per year. This foot traffic would translate to greater community engagement in arts and culture experiences and encouragement for businesses to establish nearby.

Economic impacts

In 2023, Americans for the Arts released a sixth study on the economic effects of the arts in 373 communities (including Nevada and Placer Counties).

On average, American audiences spend $38.46 per person per event. And that’s on top of the ticket price!

The math is compelling.

PATCH wants to help the Ridge capture these additional revenues.

Location…Location…Location…

PATCH will work best in downtown Paradise.

Think about it: You’re going to catch a play at Theatre on the Ridge, or a concert at Norton Buffalo Hall. Who doesn’t want dinner before a concert or play? Maybe afterward, go for ice cream or hang out at a brew pub or cafe for a little more social time. Or maybe you’ve signed up for a class at Paradise Art Center and need to buy supplies. You know, retailers love to locate near cultural centers.

The more attractive the downtown, the greater the potential tourism revenues, too. Americans for the Arts found an average of 30% of arts and culture event attendees come from out-of-town and they spend more.

But where exactly in downtown Paradise should PATCH be established?

We have ideas but don’t yet know. If you own, or know someone who owns downtown property and may be willing to donate or sell it to PATCH, we welcome your contact.

2024-2025: Laying Foundations

One of the chief accomplishments of 2023 was the completion of a community survey, funded by a grant from North Valley Community Foundation, that engaged the community with the PATCH concept — essentially a gut check. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

On Valentine’s Day, 2024, Paradise Recreation and Park District authorized a memo of understanding with PATCH — a collaboration that greatly enhances our attractiveness as a potential grantee.

Our research surfaced business plans from a dozen similar projects from the last decade, which led to the discovery of a vast body of research on arts and culture facility construction projects and a niche of highly skilled professional consultants to support it. We recognized the need for a third-party operational feasibility study — the rigor of due diligence pre-business plan.

An RFP was issued, three firms responded, and a review panel recommended Webb Mgmt. as our consultant. Over its 30-year history, Webb has worked on more than 520 arts and culture construction projects — some of them in small communities in need of a real downtown.

Webb should complete their work by May 2025, PATCH will conduct a financial feasibility study to support a major capital campaign beginning in the fall.