Resilience through Arts & Culture

In the Wenatchee Valley, culture isn’t just something to observe — it’s something to live. Two of the region’s cornerstone institutions, the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center and the Numerica Performing Arts Center, are proving that arts and heritage aren’t luxuries but lifelines — ways of understanding who we are, where we come from, and how we hold together in uncertain times.

The Museum as a living space for community

For Marriah Thornock, executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, the mission begins with movement — getting the museum out of its own walls and into the heart of the community.

“I see the museum as a cultural catalyst,” Thornock said. “Our role isn’t confined to our walls — we bring people together to explore what defines this place and where we’re going next. We preserve the past, yes, but we also commission new art, host dialogues, and collaborate with tribal partners, scientists, and storytellers to create experiences that reflect the community’s evolving identity. We’re both the mirror and the facilitator.”

Thornock said the museum’s strength lies in how it embraces the full fabric of the valley, including agriculture, art, innovation, and Indigenous heritage, as one shared story. “Our region’s story is woven from many threads,” she said. “We’re intentional about making the museum a place of dialogue, not just display. Rather than presenting these narratives separately, we look for the ways they intersect — how creativity, labor, and land all shape who we are as a community.”

That vision has transformed the museum from a static exhibit hall into something more dynamic and participatory. “A museum should be more than a place you visit; it should be a place you belong,” Thornock said. “When families come for a class, when artists collaborate in our space, or when community groups meet here, the museum becomes a living part of daily life. That blurring of lines is exactly where connection and relevance happen.”

The collaborations that have come from that approach have surprised even her. “Some of the most rewarding partnerships have been the ones that grew out of shared curiosity rather than formal plans,” Thornock said. “Our collaborations with local schools and members of the Wenatchi Tribe, for example, have shown how powerful it can be when we create space for students to learn directly from culture bearers and artists.”

The museum’s partnerships now stretch across disciplines: Artists working with scientists, tribal historians joining staff to co-develop exhibits. “Those moments dissolve boundaries between disciplines, between generations, between communities,” she said. “They remind us that connection is both the process and the product of the work we do.”

As the museum plans for expansion, Thornock said the goal is not just physical growth but purpose. “Growth for us isn’t just about adding space, it’s about deepening purpose,” she said. “Sustainable growth comes from being thoughtful — from ensuring that every new square foot or initiative strengthens our ability to connect people with place, history, and creativity for generations to come.”

Looking ahead, she hopes the museum will continue to serve as the community’s connective tissue. “Ten years from now, I hope the museum is seen as the heartbeat of the valley,” Thornock said. “Whether it’s a child discovering creativity through play, a student finding inspiration, an adult engaging in dialogue, or an elder sharing lived history — the museum should be a constant thread of connection.”

From culture to performance: the PAC as a creative heartbeat

If the museum is the valley’s living archive, the Numerica Performing Arts Center is its pulse. It’s a space where the community gathers to celebrate, take risks, and rediscover joy. Executive Director Alex Haley said he sees the PAC not only as a stage, but as a cultural anchor.

“It is truly a rarity, especially in a town of our size, to have a performing arts space like this,” Haley said. “We would love the idea of being a cultural hub for the valley. To achieve that, we have to break out of our bubble. Our current clientele is fundamental, but there are so many in our community who either don’t know we’re here or don’t feel like the Numerica PAC is something for them. Our goal is to push our programming in a way that is genuinely inclusive, making everyone feel welcome, while still finding ways to challenge and expand what our audiences believe art can be here.”

That inclusivity starts with showing up for others as much as for themselves. “Showing support for community events is essential,” Haley said. “If we want the arts to thrive, we have to support them. But the ultimate goal is to create something so undeniable that people attend not out of obligation, but because it’s a genuine cultural moment they have to be part of.”

He believes collaboration is the key to that shift. “The more arts organizations choose to collaborate, the better,” he said. “The instinct can be to be competitive or protective, but I’ve found that the more exciting things we have going on across the valley, the busier and more successful everyone gets. There’s a critical mass needed for success. We want to program audiences to think there’s always something happening, changing the mentality from ‘nothing is going on’ to ‘what’s happening tonight?’”

That resilience has carried the PAC through crises that might have ended lesser institutions. “COVID was an extremely tough time for the Numerica PAC, with our staff furloughed for over a year,” Haley said. “It’s a huge testament to our volunteer board that helped keep the organization going when we lost a big revenue stream with no events for 15 months. I think the fact that our community is so connected makes the arts here more meaningful for the people who live here, and they’re much more dedicated to protecting what we have.”

Looking forward, he said the PAC’s programming will continue to balance comfort and challenge. “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” Haley said, quoting a 1997 poem by Cesar A. Cruz. “Even with something like Pink Martini, who have sold out twice already, we’re partnering with the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra to provide an all-new experience combining so many talented artists.”

Beyond the marquee names — as this is written, the PAC prepares to welcome jazz legend Arturo Sandoval this very night — that same spirit drives local productions and experimental series alike. “Our goal is to combine these objectives. To challenge people while still attempting to entertain,” he said. “We’ve also found different ways we can use our physical space to appeal to different pockets of people.”

And the best measure of success? For Haley, it’s energy, not numbers. “Some of this you can just feel in the community,” he said. “When we host an Every Kid at the PAC show and 500 kids are screaming with excitement, that immediate energy is a big indicator of our impact with the community.”

For both Thornock and Haley, the work of culture is as much about people as programs. It’s building places that help neighbors see themselves in a shared story, and giving them reasons to keep turning the page together.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media