Kyle Horvath takes lead at Brewery Arts Center

After some upheaval in the past year at the Brewery Arts Center, Kyle Horvath, new president of the board of directors, said the board and volunteers are ready to move forward.

“We’re not going to nitpick who did what to put us in this position,” Horvath said. “Everyone before us did something really well to help us put the pieces together to be successful. That’s the attitude I want to be surrounded by, people who are looking toward the future.”

Horvath, who has served on the board for nearly a year, was vice president when former president Chris Bayer resigned the position about two weeks ago.

The shake up comes months after the board announced via a message on the art center’s website that the executive director and the program director were both removed from their paid posts.

In part, the Aug. 28 message read, “the Brewery Arts Center is currently operating without professional staff.”

Since then, other paid staff was also laid off, retaining only the video production staff, which is funded through a grant.

Horvath said the board is in the process of finding ways to become financially stable, while continuing to provide entertainment and art education for the community.

“We’re kind of in strategic planning mode,” Horvath said. “We’re coming up with not just quick fixes, but a long-term vision.”

He said he hopes to elaborate more on the plan during a press conference scheduled 10 a.m. Dec. 29 at the Brewery Arts Center. He also hopes to have a full board in place by the meeting.

He said he is relying heavily on fellow board member Gina Hill — who is the only original remaining board member other than Horvath — along with the center’s other volunteers.

“These are the people who are making it happen,” Horvath said. “It’s going to take a full team.”

As social media director for the Carson City Visitors Bureau and a business owner, Horvath said the Brewery Arts Center is important to create a thriving community.

“People move here because they want a certain quality of life, they want a state capital experience,” he said. “A state-of-the-art arts center is an important part of that.”

However, his greatest motivating factor, he said, is his 4-year-old daughter.

“I want her to have every opportunity she would have in a big city,” Horvath said.

The center’s featured fundraiser for the season will be Winter Wine and all that Jazz on Jan. 17.

“We will be showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of our art, along with wine and food,” he said. “We’ll also be showcasing a new paradigm at the BAC.”