Vision, Core Values & Programming

Vision

The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is a driving force to establish the Sun Valley area as a nationally recognized arts destination.

Core Values

Our core values serve as guiding principles that shape the organizational choices we make. 



Excellence

We continuously strive to excel in programmatic and operational effectiveness.

Imagination

We offer compelling programming that stimulates the imagination, advances creativity, and promotes new perspectives.

Discovery

We provide educational opportunities that enable all segments of our community to discover, re-discover and sustain the joy of learning.

 Community

We help build an engaged and connected community through transformative experiences that are accessible and inclusive.

 Stewardship

We care for the resources entrusted to us through best practices in all we do.

Over the course of a typical year The Center’s activities include:

  • Unique, nationally recognized BIG IDEA projects that explore ideas, themes and topics of relevance to our community through the visual arts, theatre, music, film, education and humanities
  • Original visual arts exhibitions curated by staff or guest curators. Exhibitions range widely in scope, structure and subject and include works by nationally and internationally recognized contemporary artists. Throughout the year, The Center provides opportunities for artists to execute original installations. Many highly acclaimed artists have shown at The Center, including Stephanie Syjuco, Kiki Smith, Margarita Cabrera, Andy Goldsworthy, Shazia Sikander, Emmet Gowin, James Castle, Paul Kos, Enrique Chagoya, Anslem Keifer, Carl Andre, Agnes Martin, Hung Liu, John Grade and more. The Center is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
  • Performing arts events ranging from intimate jazz and world music concerts to modern dance and multimedia performances to large outdoor concerts. Past performers include Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Dala, Sharron Matthews, Pink Martini, Ailey II, Black Violin, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Carol King and James Taylor, Zap Mama and The Avett Brothers,
  • World-class theatre by Company of Fools, a professional theatre company creating dynamic programming for the stage and in the classroom. Since 1996, Company of Fools has produced more than 120 plays and taught hundreds of classes to children and adults. The Company was a 2004 recipient of the Idaho Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and in 2000 became the first theatre in Idaho’s history to receive Constituent Theatre status from Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the professional, nonprofit American theatre.
  • Public lectures and visits by artists, authors and world renowned scholars, many of whom also visit local schools or teach classes. Recent visitors include Scott Simon, Terry Tempest Williams, Ann Patchett, E. O. Wilson, Juno Diaz, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Michael Pollan, Mary Oliver, Dan Cameron, William Kittredge, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jonathan Franzen, Miranda July, Reza Aslan, David Sedaris, Sir Salman Rushdie and Garrison Keillor.
  • Arts education outreach in the schools includes in-classroom residencies with musicians, artists, authors and actors; a robust school tour program that brings local students to the museum on a regular basis; student matinees of Company of Fools productions; a classroom enrichment program that uses art to teach core curriculum; and Stages of Wonder, a dynamic in-school program that enables elementary school students to explore their creativity through the theatre arts.
  • Classes for adults, teens, families and children, including a summer art camp and free family workshops that relate to The Center’s current exhibitions. Classes range from one-night “creative jump-ins” to weekend and weeklong skill-building “masterclasses” in the visual arts and theatre.
  • Established in 1998, The Center’s Scholarship Program has awarded more than $750,000 in scholarships to local students and teachers to further develop their artistic talents through specialized studies.
  • One of the country’s top-ranked summer art festivals featuring 130 artists, live music, artist demonstrations and hands-on activities for children.
  • An annual Wine Auction that raises more than half of The Center’s budget and is consistently ranked among the nation’s Top 10 Charity Wine Auctions by Wine Spectator magazine.