Wyandotte Arts Center Gets a New Look

A $6,000 grant has helped spruce up the community gallery inside the James R. DeSana Center for the Arts and Culture.

The Downriver Council for the Arts, whose office is inside the arts center, secured the grant from Lumber Liquidators.

The money paid for the linoleum tile flooring inside the gallery to be replaced with new laminate flooring.

Tammy Trudelle, the DCA's executive director, called the project "a much needed facelift."

"The floor of the spacious room that holds the main gallery was part of a speckled installation from the late 1960’s; the color of creamed corn," she said. "Worn and dated, it was an eyesore that detracted from the artwork displayed above it. The new floor has a dark wood grain stained rich burnt umber and golden brown. Handscraped laminate creates a beautiful, rustic feel and has a unique texture that enhances spaces."

Employees from Wyandotte's Department of Public Services also had a hand in the project. They picked up the material and have spent the last couple weeks installing it at the center.

Having done fundraisers to purchase new track lighting and four large, rolling walls for the gallery, Trudelle said, the new flooring adds another level of elegance to the building.

"There was always the idea of making that room into our main gallery," she said. "With the new flooring and the gallery lighting, it really truly enables that space to become a gallery that artists want to showcase their work in."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new flooring will coincide with the opening reception of the “Hanging with a Friend” exhibit at 6:30 p.m. Friday. A plaque recognizing the company’s contribution to the center also will be installed inside the gallery.