Monti Stein gets a crash course in painting from New Berlin cultural center organizer Andreia Keller. The cultural center made its community debut at the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church over the weekend, offering locals the chance to register for several upcoming free classes, including musical theater and set design for kids ages 5-12, adult dance classes, yoga, sewing classes, and art classes. (Photo by Shawn Magrath)

NEW BERLIN – In hopes of inundating the community with the arts, the ribbon’s been cut for a new cultural center in downtown New Berlin that will give locals the chance to hone their creativity.

The center was unveiled to the community during a grand opening celebration on Saturday, giving those interested a peek at center resources and a chance to register for free classes.

Located at the parish hall of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Main Street, the center has an excellent space to host several unique offerings, including musical theater and set design for kids ages 5-12, adult dance classes, yoga, sewing classes, art classes, and events tailored to community interests.

Center organizer Andreia Keller says it’s all in an effort to fill an artistic void within the New Berlin community.

  “This village is absolutely amazing,” said Keller. “It’s a beautiful storybook village; but in a lot of ways, people don’t see that. That’s what we want to show them.”

Keller, a New Berlin newcomer herself, has plenty of creative experience to draw from. Before moving to New Berlin, she ran a dance studio in New Jersey and had her own place in the spotlight as a professional dancer and artist.

Keller’s husband, Jeff Keller, will also have a hand in some of the activities at the cultural center, putting to use his own longtime professional experience as a singer and performer on Broadway.

Despite their longstanding success in music and the arts, the Kellers left their New Jersey home at the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually settled in the Village of New Berlin. Andreia said it was the warm welcoming they received from the community that really inspired her to volunteer her talents and desire to give back.

“I want to give to the community everything that the community gave to us without knowing. I want to give what they don’t have because they gave me what I didn’t have,” said Keller. “They gave us love and acceptance. We have Broadway, we have dance; we have art that we can give them.”

Classes at the New Berlin cultural center will begin after the Labor Day weekend. To learn more or to register, call Andreia Keller at 201-424-5165 or find her on Facebook.