The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea opened its doors July 30, giving visitors a new opportunity to sample arts, crafts and cuisine from around the Commonwealth. The $8.75 million, 25,000 square-foot facility at Interstate 75 exit 77 is expected to attract an estimated 400,000 visitors annually.

In a dedication ceremony before the grand opening, local artist and merchant Mitchell Tolle said the center will serve as a showcase for Kentucky’s artisans, but more importantly, it could strengthen the Commonwealth’s arts and crafts industry, enabling up and coming craftspeople to pursue a successful career in the arts without having leaving the state.

“I’m glad that our young people won’t have to leave Kentucky to find a place to make a living painting pictures and making pottery and doing things that artists do,” Tolle said, pausing to thank Kentucky Governor Paul Patton for

his support of the arts in the Commonwealth. “I know this will be a great thing for all of us.”

Governor Patton was credited with supporting changes that have significantly boosted the state’s tourism economy. According to Tourism Secretary Ann Latta, tourism has become Kentucky’s third largest industry under Patton’s tenure, growing by 28% over the last 7.5 years. Latta noted that Patton supported initiatives that created the Newport Aquarium, improvements to the Kentucky Horse Park, as well as other projects, such as the Kentucky School of Craft and Berea’s artisan center.

At the ceremony, Governor Patton expressed hope that the Artisan Center would serve as one of the many focal points for economic development that would also serve to preserve and enhance Kentucky’s culture by supporting the arts and crafts industry.

“Working with this center, I think we’ll be able to say, when we review the work of this center that we have dramatically changed the arts and crafts culture of Kentucky, and we have changed it for the better,” Patton said.

Berea Mayor Steve Connelly acknowledged there are some concerns among residents and merchants about the possible economic impact of the center, but he suggested the new facility would open a promising new chapter in Berea’s role as the folk arts and crafts capital of Kentucky.