The North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center fulfills the rural San Juan Ridge community's needs for a local place to meet, to share its creativity, and to participate in a wide variety of enriching activities. Located 20 miles north of Nevada City, the Schoolhouse, a graceful example of Western Colonial architecture, was built by the mining community in 1875, and has a long tradition of serving the community as a school and public meeting hall for over a century. In 1979 it was forced to shut down as a school by legislation requiring earthquake-proof construction. It reopened as a community Cultural Center in 1980 after extensive restoration was undertaken by two local architects with the help of local volunteers.

Memberships and sponsorships constitute a good portion of the income necessary to keep the Cultural Center open and available to the community. The NCSCC welcomes new members and encourages the continued support of its current and business sponsors. We thank all of you for so generously giving of your time, materials and money in helping further the growth of the Cultural Center and helping to make events like the Sierra Storytelling Festival possible.

Recognition of the Cultural Center as a model rural arts organization, and presenter of folk, traditional and contemporary arts has been received in the form of grants from the California Arts Council, the Nevada County Arts Council, the L.J. and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, the S.H. Cowell Foundation, the Rose Leo Memorial Philanthropic Fund, the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest fund and the National Endowment for the Arts. Innovative programming at the Schoolhouse has drawn attention from audiences and artists far beyond the San Juan Ridge.

Below are the memberships available.

Individual Family Supporting Business/Patron Lifetime Member

$35 $50 $75 $150 $500

per year

To become a member or renew your membership, please go to the Order Your Tickets Online page and click on the 'Add to Cart' button on the bottom of the list. Or send in the registration form along with the ticket form and your check. You can also go to the Cultural Center website.