Paradise Center for the Arts Classes and Camps
Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Avenue N., Faribault, MN 55021
About
Paradise Center for the Arts Classes and Camps offers art education, gallery exhibits, and live performances of music, theater, comedy, and other creative activities for all ages. The program includes classes and camps for both adults and children, offered in person and virtually, along with community theatre performances held throughout the year. Participants are able to experience live performances and view exhibits in a facility that includes art galleries, classrooms, clay and textile labs, a gift shop, rehearsal spaces, and a 278-seat auditorium.
• Schedule: Hours: Wed.-Fri. 12-5pm & Sat. 10am-2pm
Paradise Center for the Arts offers five community theatre performances a year in the Bahl Family Auditorium. The organization states that its mission is to welcome all people to experience the transformative power of the arts. The center has four onsite galleries and presents gallery exhibits along with live performances of music, theatre, and comedy. The program has a Native Land Acknowledgement recognizing the ancestral homeland of the Dakota people, specifically the Mdewakanton and Wahpekute bands of the Sioux Nation.
The facility is built on the original foundation of the 1885 Faribault Opera House, which was destroyed by fire in 1929, and it was extensively renovated in 2006 before opening to the public in 2007. In 2008, Paradise Center for the Arts received the MN Preservation Alliance Restoration/Rehabilitation Award. The building was designed by the architectural firm Liebenberg and Kaplan and was originally conceptualized as the Granada with a Moorish or Spanish theme. For over 40 years, the Faribault Art Center, now Paradise Center for the Arts, has been part of the Faribault community, having been founded in the 1950s by a small group of artists.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Julie Fakler; Performing Arts and Education Director Will McIntyre; Administrative Assistant Rhonda Norgaard; Production Coordinator Sara Caron; Volunteer Coordinator & Box Office staff member Char Johnson; and Box Office staff member Dallas Musselman. The Board of Directors includes President Todd Ginter, Vice President Jessica Schwie, Treasurer Craig Ryan, Secretary Vicki Kanne, City Council Representative Mandy Barnes, and members Rosemarie Marraccini, Matthew Long, Palmer Huff, Maggie Gale, Luke Havumaki, Patty Salmon, Peggy Paulson, Laura O'Connor, Martha Brown, and Jenny Whannel.
Paradise Center for the Arts collaborates with local and regional organizations, volunteers, and artists to present performances, exhibits, and education. Community partners listed by the program include Reliance Bank, City of Faribault, Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce, Faribault Daily News, Faribault Foundation, FCTV, Friendship House, Insty-Prints, Legacy Funds/Clean Water Act, Minnesota State Arts Board, SEMAC, KDHL, KOWZ, Studio Artour of South Central MN, Epic Enterprise Inc., Southern Minnesota Woodcraft, Buckham West, and River Bend Nature Center. The program states that its activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Last updated February 22, 2026.
• Schedule: Hours: Wed.-Fri. 12-5pm & Sat. 10am-2pm
Paradise Center for the Arts offers five community theatre performances a year in the Bahl Family Auditorium. The organization states that its mission is to welcome all people to experience the transformative power of the arts. The center has four onsite galleries and presents gallery exhibits along with live performances of music, theatre, and comedy. The program has a Native Land Acknowledgement recognizing the ancestral homeland of the Dakota people, specifically the Mdewakanton and Wahpekute bands of the Sioux Nation.
The facility is built on the original foundation of the 1885 Faribault Opera House, which was destroyed by fire in 1929, and it was extensively renovated in 2006 before opening to the public in 2007. In 2008, Paradise Center for the Arts received the MN Preservation Alliance Restoration/Rehabilitation Award. The building was designed by the architectural firm Liebenberg and Kaplan and was originally conceptualized as the Granada with a Moorish or Spanish theme. For over 40 years, the Faribault Art Center, now Paradise Center for the Arts, has been part of the Faribault community, having been founded in the 1950s by a small group of artists.
The leadership team includes Executive Director Julie Fakler; Performing Arts and Education Director Will McIntyre; Administrative Assistant Rhonda Norgaard; Production Coordinator Sara Caron; Volunteer Coordinator & Box Office staff member Char Johnson; and Box Office staff member Dallas Musselman. The Board of Directors includes President Todd Ginter, Vice President Jessica Schwie, Treasurer Craig Ryan, Secretary Vicki Kanne, City Council Representative Mandy Barnes, and members Rosemarie Marraccini, Matthew Long, Palmer Huff, Maggie Gale, Luke Havumaki, Patty Salmon, Peggy Paulson, Laura O'Connor, Martha Brown, and Jenny Whannel.
Paradise Center for the Arts collaborates with local and regional organizations, volunteers, and artists to present performances, exhibits, and education. Community partners listed by the program include Reliance Bank, City of Faribault, Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce, Faribault Daily News, Faribault Foundation, FCTV, Friendship House, Insty-Prints, Legacy Funds/Clean Water Act, Minnesota State Arts Board, SEMAC, KDHL, KOWZ, Studio Artour of South Central MN, Epic Enterprise Inc., Southern Minnesota Woodcraft, Buckham West, and River Bend Nature Center. The program states that its activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Last updated February 22, 2026.
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