We had a conversation with the owners, directors, and creators of Gateway City Arts, Lori Divine-Hudson and Vitek Kruta, to learn directly from them the story of how this arts complex with multiple spaces and uses, was built as part of a project that started in 2012 at Race Street in Holyoke, MA.

We will learn the stages Kruta and Divine-Hudson had to experience during the past years, especially describing the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the operations of the cultural space.

With the recent announcement of putting the property up to sale, there have been some recent reportings that created confusion and we wanted to offer the most direct narrative of what is happening at Gateway City Arts, in their own voices.

As part of the experiences lived over 12 years, GCA will have a special event, open to the public with live music, and stories about the legacy of this place that has created many collaborations, experiences, and a positive impact in Holyoke for the arts and performance.

A celebration of Gateway City Arts – 12 years of arts, food, music, and creativity will happen on Friday, December 15th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at Gateway City Arts, 92 Race Street, Holyoke, MA. Live music will be by Johnny and the Flashbacks. They were the first band to play at GCA when it opened.