The owner of Wildcat Mansion, Jon Bernstein, and artist Amber Bailey updated the Cranberry Economic Development Committee on the property’s rich history and its growing arts programming. Bernstein, a former Los Angeles screenwriter who purchased the mansion in 2021, discovered its past as a convent, private estate, and even a site linked to John Wilkes Booth after meeting local historian Carolee Michener. He and Bailey have since founded the Wildcat Academy of Creative Arts, offering classes, workshops, retreats, events, and lodging across the mansion, carriage house, and surrounding woods. They’re developing immersive, story-driven art rooms and planning holiday art classes as they continue expanding community engagement. The committee expressed enthusiasm and offered support, while also discussing other local matters, including progress on the senior housing project, upcoming Cranberry Small Business Association events, the community Thanksgiving dinner, and recent food distribution efforts.
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