At Centrum we take the approach that somebody else’s success does not come at our expense. When other groups succeed in town, that’s good for all of us.”

Robert Birman, executive director, Centrum

Despite COVID’s impact on live venues and educational organizations worldwide, Centrum has found a way to not only stay afloat, but excel in the current climate.

The nonprofit is approaching its 50th year of operation in Port Townsend as one of the premiere arts organizations on the Olympic Peninsula, providing a multitude of live concerts, workshops, artist residencies, and other programs for around 30,000 individuals every year from its headquarters in Fort Worden Historical State Park.

Part of Centrum’s financial success in recent years stems from Robert Birman, Centrum’s executive director who’s been with the arts organization for the past decade.

“I’ve lived and worked all over the country, and when I joined Centrum I was impressed with diversity of the community here,” Birman said.

“What keeps me here is opportunity to push the boundaries of what Centrum can be.”

Living in Louisville, Kentucky before making the East Coast to West Coast transition, Birman’s decision to come to Port Townsend partially involved moving closer to family, but he soon fell in love with the riveting arts community within the Peninsula.

“Part of what drew me in was my mother-in-law. We moved here in part to be closer to her,” Birman said.

“When you look at Port Townsend’s history, we have an incredibly vibrant literary and visual arts community, which I find exciting,” he added. “It’s incredibly fulfilling here, and every week is different.”

Assisting Centrum in fundraising and finances, it didn’t take Birman very long to make an impact on the arts organization.

Eliminating around $400,000 in debt, remaining profitable in the past six years, being debt-free since 2018, and increasing Centrum’s endowment sixfold are just a few accolades of Birman in his tenure so far.

“Our revenue is really reflective of our audience base,” he said. “Seventy-nine percent of the funds we raise for Centrum come from outside Jefferson County. As an arts leader, I’m proud of that.”

As nice as it is to succeed as an individual organization, Birman said it’s just as important for the arts community at large to succeed.

“At Centrum we take the approach that somebody else’s success does not come at our expense. When other groups succeed in town, that’s good for all of us,” he said. “We have many partnerships that make Centrum work. We succeed when everyone wins.”

Arts organizations across the Peninsula were tested in a major way in March 2020 when COVID-19 ravaged the community. Although Centrum had to deal with plenty of adversity during the pandemic, Birman and his colleagues found innovative ways to succeed without the typical in-person opportunities.

“I think when we look back at the pandemic, that we leveraged the crisis in a strong way,” Birman said. “Even in years we couldn’t travel, people wanted to stay connected with Centrum. It’s the most important part of what we do.”

Switching to online programs and socially-distanced learning, Centrum was able to keep artists and learners around the globe connected without having to cancel any of its programs.

Fast forward to today, Centrum has brought live concerts back to the Wheeler Theater in Fort Worden after a two-year hiatus, starting with the highly-acclaimed Merz Trio who performed to a live audience in February.

“It’s a first step,” Birman said of the results from the concert and successes. “We’re still following CDC guidances, and we [didn’t] expect to be at full capacity.”

Live concerts coming back creates a new challenge for Centrum to keep folks safe amid the pandemic.

“The biggest challenge has been figuring out whether to have a vaccine mandate. We decided for the vaccine mandate,” he said.

“That’s reflective of care and concern for community. We feel it’s proper for all guests to be up to date with vaccines.”

Live concerts are just the start of what Centrum will bring this year and in coming years. Under Birman’s leadership, the arts organization will strive to serve the community and keep Centrum profitable.

“It’s an honor working at Centrum and to be involved,” Birman said.