We’re rapidly approaching our move–in date for the brand new ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL, and I recently had the opportunity to explore the nearly complete building and snap a bunch of photos to share exclusively in this newsletter with our volunteers! Well, “nearly complete” may be an overstatement, but things are certainly coming along. We’re on track for our soft opening in November and the full building opening in January 2027!
Back Entrance and Green Space
Moving inside, the first floor is taking shape, and I cannot wait to see the finished product! Excuse the mess for now! The first floor will be home to two large galleries, a black box theatre, a bar space, and our brand-new glass-blowing studio, complete with a viewing area!
The back entrance and elevators
The large gallery space on the left and the Doug & Gay Lane Gallery on the right
The ABARTA Coca-Cola Stage inside the Joe & Corey Bergstein Theater
First-floor bar area
The kitchen space and entrance to the Glass Studio
Glass Studio viewing area and MakerSpace/loading dock
Main Lobby
The 2nd floor will feature 3 visual arts classrooms, visible from 3rd street through the large glass windows that are the centerpiece of the new building, It will also house artist studios and ArtsQuest staff offices.
Visual Arts Classroom and 2nd floor lounge space/gallery
2nd Floor Office cubicles and offices
The 3rd floor will have dedicated spaces for mosaics and ceramics, along with additional artist studios. It will also include a social media lab, a digital classroom for recording podcasts and other online content, and the Martin Guitar Recording Studio.
Martin Guitar Recording Studio
Digital Classrooms
We’ve finally made it to the best part of the building (absolutely no bias here) the 4th floor, home to the Yeoman Family Volunteer Center. Many of you may recognize the Yeoman family from volunteering alongside them at the many events ArtsQuest hosts throughout the year, and we could not be more grateful for their support in making this space possible. This will be a space for all volunteers, and we hope to share more information soon about the vision for it and how it will be used. For now, we’ll have to use our imaginations, but I already have some great ideas for sprucing it up and honoring our volunteers!
Cory’s Office (sorry for leaking your location) and more 4th floor cubicles
The 4th floor will also feature classrooms for jewelry, fiber arts, printmaking, and photography, including a darkroom, along with many other art studios and additional ArtsQuest offices.
Our final stop on today’s tour is the 5th floor! This level will feature a large, flexible hospitality and event space, with several events already planned for 2027. It will also include a covered outdoor balcony offering an amazing view of South Side Bethlehem.
BSI Corporate Benefits Balcony
That concludes today’s impromptu behind-the-scenes tour of the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL! There was so much I didn’t get to cover or simply forgot about while wandering around the building. (Unsupervised, mind you) The ArtsQuest Creative Factory will certainly take a bit to learn the whole layout! I was amazed by how far everything has come and how real it is all beginning to feel. What once existed only as concepts on paper is becoming a physical space, and I cannot wait for all of you to see it. That day is getting closer! This may be part 1 of a behind-the-scenes tour; perhaps I’ll share another update in a few months as we get closer to the grand opening. No promises, we’ll see how busy Christkindlmarkt season is! I’m done rambling now. I hope y’all enjoyed the tour!