Happy 25th anniversary to the flagship visual arts non-profit ArtCenter /South Florida, which has been providing truly affordable studio space and educational opportunities for a quarter of a century now,

quite a life-span for Miami-Dade. And thanks to a $150,000 KAC grant, the ArtCenter also will be unveiling its Computer and New Media Center come the fall.

“It’s going to fill a big hole,” says executive director Jeremy Chestler. “Both in our curriculum in what we offer, and in the community as a whole.” The center will be equipped with state-of-the-art computer, digital, and printing technology, and will include “open labs” for supervised training (likely for about $10). The idea is to provide access to software and digital tools to both art residents and low-income artists and students alike, in order to level the playing field in a 21st century world.

“Outside of the universities, we don’t have a center like this,” explains Chestler, “that is affordable and accessible to everybody. It should add so much to furthering new media skills and education.”

The digital center will be located in the ACSF building at 924 Lincoln Road, putting it smack in the middle of the working art studios and other educational programs, so the experience can be as multi-disciplinary as possible.

If you haven’t paid a visit to those residency studios for a while or seen the latest exhibit, Saturday night should be a perfect opportunity, as the ArtCenter will celebrate its 25th birthday with its annual raffle fundraiser “Winning Art.” For a meager 10 bucks, you can buy a ticket and walk away with a piece of work from about 40 artists, who are currently showing through Sunday in the main gallery.

Aside from the cocktails and music, the night will include some serious silent auction prizes, such as two pieces donated from the Harold Golen Gallery; a Shaker membership from MOCA; a family membership from MAM; and a $500 membership at the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts.

As the ArtCenter has proven for 25 years, the money goes to a successful and vital cause. So come on over, encourages Chestler: “With the community’s help, we will continue to be around for at least another 25 years.”

“Winning Art” fundraising raffle at ArtCenter’s 800 Lincoln Road gallery, Saturday, May 15 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the main gallery and at artist studios (800, 810, and 924 Lincoln Road). Coming up next, and in honor of Lincoln Road’s own 50th birthday, is a historical photography show, “A Quest for Emotion and Motion in Architecture,” May 21 – July 18; www.artcentersf.org.