CEDAR KEY ARTS CENTER FOUNDER PASSES

January 18, 2021

It is with a sad heart that we share the news that Cedar Key Arts Center Founder and Benefactor, Catherine Graham Christie, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 10, at her home in Clayton, Georgia.  Christie made it clear to her friends and caretakers that she did not want any fanfare, lengthy obituary or event to “celebrate her life.”  Respecting this, we will simply share the words on the Thank You note sent to Christie as part of the Arts Center’s 25^th Anniversary Celebration in late 2019.

CHRISTIE’S VISION

             If being an artist means to have the ability to take a mental image or vision and turn it into a reality that impacts others for years to come, then Cathie Christie, the Cedar Key Arts Center’s founder and benefactor, meets the definition.

             After moving to Cedar Key in the late seventies, Christie, a retired art teacher, joined up with some other crafty women and started the Cedar Keyhole Artist Co-op. However, Christie’s vision went beyond this and in 1991 she coordinated and financed the construction of a second story over the Cedar Keyhole that would provide more gallery and work space for local artists. Her “art project” was still a work in progress when in 1994 she established the non-profit Cedar Key Arts Center and donated the building to the new organization.

As a final touch to her masterpiece, the Arts Center added expanded studio space thanks again to Christie’s generosity and the support of the community in 2017.