A community?s ability to foster the creation, appreciation and enjoyment of the arts is a reflection of its collective imagination and spirit. In providing a home for the performing arts, the community builds from the very heart of its existing cultural heritage to embrace the magic of entertainment and the promise of achievement, while gathering people young and old in celebration of our civic pride. For over 125 years, Asheville has enjoyed six performance halls in its downtown, each providing the richness and diversity of art and culture. It is estimated that over five million patrons have enjoyed thousands of performances in these civic auditoriums. Without our performance centers, we might have lost the spirit that makes us the unique, dynamic, artistic community we are today. The time has come to create a new performance center for our children, for their children. The lights are low. The audience waits with anticipation. It is up to us to make the vision a shining.