In 1994, a group of teachers got together and rented a building on Grand Avenue next door to The Diner Restaurant (now the home of Coldwell Banker Real Estate). The teachers decided to name the business the Blue Sage Dance and Movement Center and began offering classes in yoga, tai chi and dance, as well as massage therapy sessions. This also became the venue for the annual Paonia Holiday Arts Festival.

Music became a part of the Center with the introduction of an open stage called the Sage Stage. In 1996, the two-story Historic Curtis Hardware building became available to rent, and the Blue Sage moved to their new location at 228 Grand Avenue. A non-profit corporation was formed in that same year, and IRS tax-exempt status achieved.

Over the next few years, classes continued to be the main offering at the Blue Sage, with an occasional folk concert, and the annual Paonia Holiday Arts Festival in December. All classes and events took place on the main floor - a family lived in the upstairs apartment. Blue Sage staff consisted of a part-time manager.

In 1998 the name of the organization was changed to the Blue Sage Center for the Arts. In that same year, the owner of the building decided to sell it and offered the Blue Sage first opportunity. The board members of the Blue Sage Center organized a Capital Campaign to raise the necessary $225,000.

The fundraiser to purchase the building kicked off with an incredible Halloween event called the Masked Ball. We procured donations from local individuals, businesses, and Blue Sage members. We applied for funding and received grants from several private foundations. The combined efforts of many contributed to the campaign's success, and we completed the purchase of the building thirteen months later, on November 29, 1999. The family that was living upstairs at the time decided that they needed to leave Paonia, so the entire building became available.

In January 2000, the Blue Sage Center for the Arts opened its office on the second floor of the Historic Curtis Building, bought a computer and installed a telephone. The staff consisted of Thomas Smith (who had been contracted as manager in September 1999). Since that time, the Blue Sage has grown and changed to better suit the needs of our community. The original intention has been expanded to include a place where local performing artists can share their talents with others, and people in the community can gather for special community events.

A Board of Directors governs the Blue Sage, and our Executive Director and Office Manager run the day-to-day affairs of the Center. Members of the Board of Directors are elected at our annual membership meeting and serve on a voluntary basis. Membership in the Blue Sage Center is open to all without regard to race, sex, age, nationality, sexual orientation, disability or religion.

Presently, our facility is used by individuals who rent the space for instruction and groups and individuals who need the space for meetings and special events. Regularly scheduled classes have included everything from African Inspired Dance to Fencing, Theater Group, Writer's Workshop, Tai Chi, Yoga and Community Chorus. We also rent or donate the use of our facility to many non-profit organizations. Hundreds of performances, benefits and fundraising events have been held at the Blue Sage.

The Blue Sage Board of Directors plays an active role in producing many of the special events that take place at the center. The Board produces several concerts annually, featuring well-known and emerging musicians from around the country. We have also hosted performances from Tibetan Monks and Nuns, modern dancers, classical musicians, theatrical performances, dances, slide shows, rummage sales, craft shows, open stages, storytelling evenings, and concerts featuring local musicians.

Most special events and classes at the Blue Sage take place on the large, open, street-level floor of the Curtis Building. The second floor of the building is also open for meetings and smaller classes and other gatherings. The upstairs walls provide gallery space for local artists. The Blue Sage Center maintains an office in one of the rooms. There is also a kitchen that is available for the use of the Arts Center and the organizations and individuals who rent the space.

In 2000-2001 we have presented a series of well-attended talks about the history and geology of our area. The Western Slope Chamber Music Series produces a season of concerts featuring well-known classical musicians from around the world. They brought to the Blue Sage a Yamaha concert grand piano, now housed on the main floor.

The Blue Sage has published since 2001 a monthly arts and culture newspaper, The Paonia Planet. It appears as the center section of the Merchant Herald newspaper. The Paonia Planet features a monthly community calendar listing art and entertainment events in the Paonia, Hotchkiss and Crawford area.

In May of 2003, the Blue Sage began another Capital Campaign to purchase the adjacent "First National Bank Building," built in 1903. This building will allow us to have a lobby, ADA restrooms, an elevator, an art gallery (at street level) and more.

In May of 2004, the Blue Sage obtained full use of the new building while still in the midst of the fundraiser to purchase it.

Beginning in the summer of 2004, over 100 local artists and students have displayed their works in the new gallery. In April of 2005, a doorway was created between the two buildings, allowing us to have one large facility out of the two separate buildings, giving us a lobby, a gallery, an additional restroom and a gallery café. In May of 2005, the "old bank building" was officially added to the Colorado Register of Historic Properties.

We plan to continue to expand our offerings of special events, exhibits, classes and programs. We seek to improve the quality of life in our area through increasing the accessibility to the arts for all people in our community.