Jill Schramm/MDN Stanley-area musicians Carl Kannianen, Nicole Biwer, and Taryn Lumley, from left, are shown at the Sybil Center, March 17. Lumley and Biwer are Sibyl Center board members.

STANLEY — Untapped potential is what members of the Sibyl Center board see when they consider the asset that is the Stanley arts center.

“We really haven’t begun to do what can be done here,” said board president Taryn Lumley. “We’ve got to move it up a notch.”

Although the center has been a key part of the community for about 15 years, Lumley said there are many area residents who have not yet visited the 1928 Presbyterian Church building since it was renovated into the Sibyl Center in memory of Sibyl MacDonald, a local music educator who died in 1973.

Once enticed into the center, people not only experience the beauty of the structure but they gain exposure to local artists, including those with world-class talent. When people have that experience, they want to return, but getting people to come once is the biggest hurdle, Lumley said.

He said there often is a misperception that the Sibyl Center is an organizational club or a place where musicians hang out and not a place where anyone in the community can come.

“So we’re trying to change that. Social media is a big tool of ours to do that,” he said. “We’re going to have a bigger social media presence.”

Primarily, though, he said, he wants to bring in fresh artists, utilize the abundance of untapped talent in the region and give more exposure to talent that deserves appreciation. It also is important the center isn’t seen as only for people interested in classical or country music, he said.

Lumley, a musician and entertainer who returned to Stanley about eight years ago after living out of state, said the board wants musicians to pursue their passions, regardless of whether it might fit with what they think is popular in this area.

“A person really appreciates someone who is really good at what they do, even if it is not exactly what I would do,” said Carl Kannianen, a Stanley guitarist who has performed extensively over the years, most recently with Dakota Drifters, which favors old-time country.

“We all agree that this is a great thing and we’re glad it’s here,” Kannianen said of the Sibyl Center. “It’s giving a lot of people – even the older people – a place to come out and listen to music.”

While the board strives to reach a wider audience, it doesn’t plan to abandon its existing supporters from the senior population. However, even older crowds, who may always be the center’s main audience, love seeing new things, Lumley said.

“People like to be a little bit out of their comfort zone,” he said. “When I go to a show, I want to see something I didn’t quite expect to see.”

Board member Nicole Biwer said the broader focus gives artists such as herself a feeling of permission to try new things. The message they want to send musicians is that “this is a place where you can make music that interests you,” she said.

A singer and songwriter, Biwer would like to see the region become a hub of poetry and songwriting. With the interest already occurring around cowboy poetry in Watford City, she said, she sees potential to make that happen.

Biwer, who teaches music at the Tioga school, would like the center to offer more resources for personalized instruction that could benefit youth who want to develop their talents. Utilizing the skills of the region’s musicians, the Sibyl Center could host workshops at which youth could learn singing techniques, songwriting, and have their interests fostered, she said.

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities for young musicians to get their feet wet. If you’re in school, you can go to contests and it’s always a formal program,” she said. “How do I make the kids understand that they can have some ownership of what we’re doing in here by making decisions? Or getting them to see that there’s a way that you can use music for you and not just make music when you come in the classroom, so that we have more youth in the arts.”

Biwer’s interest in music had her performing at a young age. In addition to performing at major regional venues, she spent about 10 years in Europe, where she taught, wrote, and performed.

Biwer said she also would like to see the Sibyl support the community’s artists by hosting regular jam sessions or open microphone nights. Because of North Dakota winters and distances, it can be difficult for rural artists to be part of larger city events, but the Sibyl Center could provide that warm and inviting place for them to connect, she said.