For a city of its size, Grand Rapids, Minnesota stands apart for its support of dance, theater, music, and popular entertainment. As a result of years of dreams, dedication, and hard work - people throughout Northern Minnesota have had the opportunity to enjoy some of the best talent in the world.

Nearly 45 years ago, the dream began with a group known as the Performing Arts Council. Concurrently, groups such as the Grand Rapids Players, Grand Rapids Showboat, Blandin Chorus, and others have helped to bring performing arts to the forefront in the region. The very existence of the Reif Center today, is a testimony to the community support that has, and continues to nurture and provide a stage for performing arts in Northern Minnesota.

Myles Reif was General Manager and Plant Manager of the Blandin Paper Company. He later became President, and his civic leadership played a significant role in the development of the Blandin Foundation. It was Myles' suggestion to bring together an arts building project and a new High School building project. The idea was to combine the community's utilization of a new arts facility with a new high school. Myles Reif, Lois Guildemeister and others approached the school board and the concept was eventually approved.

After incredible support by the Blandin Foundation, the School District and the Grand Rapids community, construction began. Sadly, Myles Reif did not live to see the project completed. Because of his involvement and unwavering support of this dream, the center was dedicated in his name at the opening ceremony on January 31, 1981. Lois Guildemeister was the emcee, John Reif, son of Myles Reif, gave presentation remarks, and Dr. James Sauter accepted the Reif Performing Arts Center on behalf of School District #318.

After more than twenty-five years of providing access to arts programming to hundreds of Northern Minnesotans, Myles Reif's maxim still rings true, "This is just the beginning." Thank you, Myles!
-The above is based on excerpts of "A History of the Reif Center," authored by Dick Gustafson




Since 1981 the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center has provided Minnesota's northland with a truly diverse range of world-class performances: full orchestras, chamber groups and solo classical artists; acrobats and drummers; traditional ballet and modern jazz dance; stand-up comedy; independent film; new and old rock, pop, big band, country, Celtic, Cajun, bluegrass, and folk music; national and international tours of large and small-scale theater productions; Christmas shows; and much more. These main-stage presentations are often accompanied by educational opportunities---master classes, workshops and residencies.

Three times a year, the acclaimed Reif Dance Program takes the stage, with its annual "Nutcracker" celebration, followed by the Company Show, featuring its most accomplished dancers, including a "Dancing With Our Stars" segment, and finally the season-ending Spring Performance.

In recent years, the Children's Performing Arts Series has brought in students from across northern Minnesota to experience award-winning performances of "Peter and the Wolf", "Huck Finn", "The Wizard of Oz", "Charlotte's Web", and many others, by nationally and internationally recognized children's theater companies.

The Reif is also home to several local arts organizations, and Independent School District #318 uses the building throughout the school year for concerts, plays, exhibits, and assemblies.

This all takes place in an intimate jewel-box of a theater. The 645 seats are comfortable, the sight-lines excellent, the technical package state-of-the-art. In the lobby, local and regional visual artists display and sell their work on a rotating consignment basis. The Center is ADA compliant. The Reif Arts Council, the managing arm of the facility, is committed to accessibility---accessibility to all---as one of its top priorities, in service of its mission: Stimulating Arts in Northern Minnesota.

A TRUISM
We get the leaders we deserve.
A COROLLARY
When luck is with us, we get a leader like Lois Gildemeister.

Lois lived long and accomplished much, in business, in the arts, in her rich relationships with family and friends. She was no stranger to risk-taking, and the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center is abiding evidence of her courage and her sure sense of an idea that could not fail. The Reif embodies Lois' most ambitious vision for this community: a flexible, sustainable, state-of-the-art home for every manner of creative self-expression, local and global. Lois Gildemeister was not burdened by pride, but this facility made her unconditionally proud - of Grand Rapids, of the consortium of funders and advocates who brought it to life, of the artistic diversity celebrated in this beautiful building for over 25 years. Our great good fortune! Lois lives on, in shared human achievements like the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center.
- Steve Downing, June 2005

Lois V. Gildemeister passed away at the age of 90 on May 3, 2005. Lois was the driving force and inspiration of the vision of the Reif Center long before it became a physical reality as the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center in 1981. She was the president of the Grand Rapids Performing Arts Council (later to become the current Reif Arts Council). She also served in many different capacities as a volunteer and also was the first director of the Reif Center.