Kress Pavilion Is a Community Builder

It comes to mind that, not too long ago, a letter appeared here questioning the wisdom of building the Kress Center in Egg Harbor. Well, question no more! Over the past year and a half, my husband and I have attended a number of events at the Kress and have found it to be wonderfully adaptable to whatever it holds. What’s more, the building appears to be constantly in use for a panoply of activities, including the checking out of books from its library.

Two events in April stand out – the “Every Day is Earth Day” event held the last weekend in April and the “Color-Brave Photo Project: Black and Brown Faces, A New Narrative” which followed on the heels of the Earth Day activities. The first event consisted of exhibits, educational sessions, films, programs and local food. As we wandered through the building, we discovered how well suited the Kress is for a wide variety of activities happening simultaneously with a large number of persons in attendance.

By contrast, the “Color-Brave” photo exhibit, which originated in Oshkosh and has toured the state (having been recently on view at Hope Church in Sturgeon Bay) was displayed at the entrance to the building and in the light-filled room at the south end. In contemplative quietude, folks could encounter other folks in the photographs in their own time, reading the narratives about their unique experiences as persons of color in a mostly white community and learning what it means to be human from a different perspective.

So, to all of you wonderful, forward-looking people responsible for the building and the running of the Kress Pavilion, we express our gratitude. The pavilion is a community-builder, something sorely needed in our time – and the view is breathtaking!

Renny Lea

Fish Creek, Wisconsin