Staging a comeback Jozart hopes to continue opening doors for budding artists, musicians
Members of the Pittsburgh band Centralians perform on the Jozart Center for the Arts stage during the Calstock Music & Art Festival in January.
Pittsburgh artist Selena Hurst displays her original work during the Calstock Music & Art Festival in January.
California musician Phoenix Michael performs at Jozart during Calstock.
Members of the California-based band Soulios perform on the Jozart stage during Calstock.
Wine & Line participants put the beginning touches on original works of art during a session held last winter.
An interior shot of Jozart features the many books visitors can borrow or purchase and the café, where coffee and tea are sometimes offered during events.
Exterior of Jozart Center for the Arts on Second Street in California
Cat Zisk may be majoring in biology/pre-med at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, but she has a “musical soul” that she enjoys cultivating as well.
And for that, Zisk has always turned to Jozart Center for the Arts in California, first as a participant as a youngster, and, more recently, as an organizer of youth-oriented programming, such as Calstock and Battle of the Bands, during her summer and winter breaks from college.
“It was such a great place to meet other people like me who were musical and artistic, whose artsy, musicy side did not fit in in high school as much,”said Zisk, who plays guitar and is a singer/songwriter. “I felt very accepted. I made a lot of strong friendships.”
That’s why it saddens her to think that Jozart may be forced to close its doors if it can’t attract more donors and volunteers.
“Anybody could go and play music. It was just a nice, receptive crowd,” the 2012 Bethlehem-Center High School valedictorian said. “Jozart goes through periods of intense danger, but always pulls through. I just don’t know when it will snap and be too much.”
Carla Anderton, president of the board of directors, said Jozart has always been a labor of love for her, and there have been months that board members and artists who frequent the 7,000-square-foot building on Second Street have paid the bills out of their own pockets. They even started a GoFundMe campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/savejozart) in an attempt to raise money for the nonprofit.
“At this point, we’re trying to stay open. It’s hard. The resources aren’t there that used to be there,” Anderton said. “It’s a college town, but there’s a bit of a turnover with people who are interested in donating.”
Although Jozart is eligible for grants, it can’t afford to hire an auditor to sustain its eligibility. So, in addition to donations, Jozart relies on ticket sales from its concerts to boost its financial coffers.
Still, it’s hardly enough to reach its annual goal of $10,000.
“We keep going, not because it’s easy or even always fun, but because we can’t imagine the idea of not having a place in the community like Jozart, where creativity is allowed to blossom and flourish,” Anderton said. “The neat thing about Jozart is if we can envision it, we can try to make it happen.”
Jozart Center for the Arts was founded in 2000 as Jozart Studios, hosting dedicated open mic nights for musicians, dancers and poets. When the original owners no longer wanted to continue, a group of artists and musicians banded together to operate it. Anderton, who has a bachelor of arts in English from nearby California University of Pennsylvania and a master of fine arts in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University, was among that core group.
“I first got involved in the center to have an outlet to read my poetry,” she said. “I did a couple internships with them, and I was in charge of open venue night. I found that I have a knack for arts administration and gathering like-minded people.”
Because of its financial constraints, and the fact Jozart is operated by solely by volunteers who all have full-time jobs, Jozart is open only for special events, which are held on a sporadic basis. Anderton, who teaches English and public speaking at Westmoreland County Community College, would like to re-establish Jozart’s writers’ group and host regular open mic nights.
“My son grew up on Jozart’s stage,” Anderton said. “There is a picture of him at Jozart with a microphone on a chair; he was not more than 4 years old. He got up for open mic and was reciting ‘The Pledge of Allegiance’ and singing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'”
Her son is an artist now, and has been accepted to the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Zisk also has fond memories of her high school days at Jozart.
“Open mic night went in waves, depending on the crowd, and in my Jozart generation wave, there were a lot of kids who were singers and songwriters,” Zisk said. “We all met and became friends. That group of people isn’t at Jozart. We need to find a new a new group of kids to keep it going.
“I remember in early high school, me and Carla’s son would think of ideas to get young people to come to Jozart. It seems hard to rally participation in things because Cal U. seems to be a commuter college. There are not a lot of people there on weekends, and it’s hard to get the news out about it. I don’t know how to appeal to people, and it’s so important to me.”
At one time, Jozart also held various art classes and yoga classes. It also has an eclectic library and a coffee shop that is open whenever someone is available to operate it.
However, Jozart does host concerts on a regular basis, and offers Zumba at 10 a.m. Saturdays and a Wine & Line Painting Party the third Tuesday of each month.
“One of the neat things about our wine and line is you don’t all have to paint the same picture,” Anderton said. “Our instructor got me to paint, and that’s really saying something. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and she retrofitted brushes for me. She caters to the individual.”
And one of the most anticipated shows will happen Wednesday, when an Open/Mic Underground Café Reunion Open Stage Event will be held, thanks to Rob Arment of Castle Shannon, a longtime Jozart regular who previously has hosted open mic nights.
Arment’s involvement with Jozart started when he was a student at Cal U., where he operated the Underground Café, a coffee house-style performing arts center.
“It was a pretty big deal, and Jozart seemed like another great venue,” said Arment, who graduated in 2001 from Cal. “The entire campus has changed. That’s why I think Jozart is so important. It’s the last great venue for people who are starting out. I just don’t want it to go away.”
Arment, who plays guitar and sings, has talked with Anderton about hosting monthly open mic nights through April. He’s been calling a lot of friends from the Underground/Jozart era during his college days to spark some interest.
“The reason I like playing there is the stage is just the right size,” Arment said. “You’re only a couple feet off the ground, and you’re still right there with the people. It’s the only place I’ve ever been where you can listen how the room is carrying the sound. It sounds so good. When people are playing in the summer, you can hear the echo in town. You can’t do that in the city.”
Arment has always marveled at the building’s high ceilings, tall windows and hardwood floors.
“It doesn’t look like a small-time venue,” he said. “Everything’s in place. All you’ve got to do is walk in and enjoy it. It’s neat seeing people come in for the first time. As soon as they turn the corner, their eyes go up. … It looks like a place where there are secrets in the wall.”
What’s particularly satisfying, Arment said, is that one time when he was running a show, a girl who had never played outside her bedroom took the stage.
“She did great. Where else can you get the courage to do that?” he said. “There is so much talent there. Over the last two years, every time when there’s an act there, I’m just blown away. There is so much talent in the area. I can’t imagine what they’re doing not packing them in.”
• Wine & Line Painting Party – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cost is $30 and includes all materials. Participants can select a painting of their choice. For reservations, email carla@jozart.com.
• Open Mic/Underground Café Reuion Open Stage Event – 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday. No admission fee.
• AnnaJames Band, with Alyssa Hankey as the opening act – 7 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5.
• Rainbows End – 7 p.m. March 5.
• Cataclysm Music and Arts Festival – 1 to 10:30 p.m. March 19. The festival will feature Tell No Tales, Onyx Eye, Nephele, The Last Snow, Worst Kept Secret, Nullity, HIGHDEAF, Grey and Cognition, plus local artists Laura Shirley, Stephen Kiser, Tim Durr, Kait Townsend, Emily Conti, Mikey Bair, Allen Allenfree and Shelly Thai. Tickets are $10.
For more information, call 724-938-9730 or email carla@jozart.com.