By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – Work continues daily on the new Shelby County Arts Center at Old Mill Square in Columbiana.

The 30,000-square-foot municipal complex that will house an art gallery, performance theater, studios and a multi-use venue is nearing completion as community leaders make plans for the facility’s grand opening in mid-August.

“We are very excited to move into our new space and share it with everyone,” an SCAC e-newsletter read. “With a massive new gallery, expanded Black Box Theater space and more classrooms and studio space we are excited to get classes and events lined up.”

According to the newsletter, all art classes, workshops and music classes are suspended for the month of August and will resume the first week of September.

The performance featuring Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, on Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. will be held in the Shelby County High School auditorium.

The first performance scheduled to take place in the SCAC’s new Black Box Theater is Three on a String on Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m., pending no major changes in construction progress.

Art Education Classes are set to resume in the new center starting in September.

Check Shelbycountyartscouncil.com in mid-August for the full list of classes to be offered in the fall.

To see interior photos of the new center, go to Shelbycountyartscouncil.com/scac-old-mill-square-update/.

The project – a collaboration among Shelby County, the SCAC and the city of Columbiana – also includes the creation of an art creation courtyard, an outdoor stage and amphitheater and a public park, complete with a European fountain shipped from Milan, Italy.