The next era of CREATE – Reimagined spaces for artists, musicians, culinary masterminds, and entrepreneurs await at CREATE’s new location with Central Rivers Farmshed! We look forward to our new home becoming an epicenter of creativity in Portage County.
In a unique opportunity for revitalization, CREATE Portage County and Central Rivers Farmshed have partnered with General Capital to renovate 26,000 square feet of the former St. Joseph Convent. Together, we’re working to enhance the physical and social fabric of our community, giving our community more tools, resources, and space to propel their ideas forward.
We want you, our valued community members, to join in this legacy. Sparking creativity takes a variety of contributions – taking part in the activities, events, or directly investing in our new home are all ways you can help write this next chapter.
With a strong emphasis on preserving the former-convent’s rich history, General Capital developed plans to adaptively reuse the convent and chapel space, ensuring that the property retains its historical significance and serves as a valuable asset for the community and region. This project has the potential to become a beacon of community development, provide cultural enrichment, expand economic prosperity, and become a place for overall well-being.
Space planning and rendering by UW-Stevens Point Interior Architecture Students: Amelia Retzlaff and Jessica Laurin.
This unique setting for work, meetups, and events will house a variety of professional tools and equipment to satisfy the most ambitious creators.
Co-Working, Event, and Multipurpose Spaces: Flexible areas designed to accommodate a range of activities, including remote work, seminars, exhibitions, performances, community gatherings and business startups.
Commercial Kitchen: A state-of-the-art renovation to the existing kitchen facility will serve a range of culinary entrepreneurs, providing them with the necessary resources and infrastructure to launch and grow their food businesses.
Studio and Recording Spaces: Dedicated photo/video and audio recording studios, equipped with professional-grade equipment and technology. These studios will provide a vital platform for local artists, photographers, videographers, podcasters and musicians in their creative and professional ventures.
3D Print and Design Labs: These creative spaces will offer 3D printers, laser cutters and a variety of multipurpose printers, scanners, cutters, etc. to help bring any idea to life. Digital workstations will also offer Autodesk and Adobe design software, along with myriad other tools to assist engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs at any level.
Outdoor Spaces: Open air courtyards and patios, rolling lawns and semi wooded areas provide opportunities for community gatherings, performances, ice sculptures, food truck rallies, and many more creative endeavors.
WORKSTATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Conference rooms will come equipped with laptops, projectors, webcams and room mics for tele-conferencing. Plus, a fully equipped business center stocked with a variety of office tools and supplies.
EVENT AND AV RENTALS
Kick off your next meetup, conference or gala in style with in-house decor, lighting, sound and video equipment. Indoor and outdoor solutions will be available for any size meetup or formal event.
PROFESSIONAL RECORDING STUDIOS
Record songs, podcasts, voiceovers, and edit in a private control room. Audio and video production equipment will be available alongside a Mac Studio outfitted with Adobe Creative Cloud.
3D DESIGN & PRINTING LAB
Drafting tables and digital workstations equipped with the hardware and software needed to take an idea from concept to production. A range of crafting tools will be available for beginners and experts alike.
Explore the All-NEw CREATE HQ
The Great Hall & Backstage
A vibrant and historic coworking and event space with a thrust stage and skylight surrounded by stained glass windows. There’s room to meet and work collaboratively on the main floor as well as conference rooms nearby. The Backstage provides a coffee station and bathroom, as well as our AV control room and photography studio.
The Mezzanine
Mezzanine spaces overlook the Great Hall with floor-to-ceiling windows bookending historic organ pipes.
Multi-Purpose Community Room
A large multipurpose space looks out onto the sprawling lawn. Adjoining bathrooms and a walkout patio make this space perfect for meetups and events. The neighboring courtyard provides additional space for intimate performances, presentations or extended gathering.
This floor shares space with CREATE’s staff offices and Farmshed’s community and commercial kitchens. These adjacencies will provide additional resources and support for members and renters alike!
Studios, Labs & Kitchens
The other half of our lower floor houses a design lab and recording studio. These rooms are insulated and set away from other activity, housing a variety of professional hardware and software.
Leverage powerful design software and 3D print prototypes in our Design Lab, or hop into our Recording Studio with a variety of audio and video gear. The separate control room will be perfect for audio and video editing on our cutting-edge Mac Studio.
Across the building, separated by a shared dining and event space, are Farmshed’s kitchens and offices.
become an insider
Stay in-the-know with updates and learn how to get involved.
Join us as we expand the ways in which our community works, plays, and grows together and become a part of this shared legacy.