Rockport Center for the Arts names new conference venue manager

Rockport Center for the Arts enticed a longtime hospitality executive out of retirement. Paulette Kluge was appointed venue manager of the organization's new conference center, RCA announced Sept. 16.
Kluge brings more than 40 years of tourism and hospitality experience to the position. Most recently, she served as chief executive officer for the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau from 2014-19. 
Her responsibilities in Rockport include the development of the new tourism and revenue-generating operation, marketing the conference center to prospective clients, and overseeing events that could include business conferences, trade shows, culinary arts instruction, performing arts, and film festivals.  
The center’s new downtown campus is set to open in November. The 1.2-acre facility will feature 14,000 square-feet of exhibition and educational space, an 8,000-square-foot conference center, and an outdoor green space and sculpture park.
The Rockport Art Association & Museum, which operates as Rockport Center for the Arts, was founded in 1969. The center has been located in several different residential and commercial spaces in its decades-long history, most recently at 401 S. Austin St. It hosts a variety of exhibitions, educational workshops, and live performances. Noted events include the The Big Wave! art exhibition and the Rockport Film Festival.
chuck@thepicayune.com