NATCHEZ &8212; If one Natchez resident&8217;s vision comes to fruition, Natchez may in the future play host to a college for the arts.

Hady Boelte said she would like to see an arts college in Natchez in the future. It would incorporate all genres of the arts, she said, but the idea is just in the preliminary stages.

&8220;This is just the very first gestation period,&8221; Boelte said Wednesday. &8220;We&8217;re just really talking it out right now.&8221;

Boelte said she and a few other interested individuals met last week to discuss and brainstorm the idea. One of the places Boelte suggested to house the school was the Margaret Martin School for the Performing Arts.

&8220;My dream and vision is to return that place to a real fabulous art school of all types of art &8212; dance, opera, music, fine arts, film,&8221; she said. &8220;I guess you might say I&8217;m the spark that starts the fire.&8221;

She said she had the idea about a year ago when she was driving around Natchez and realized it was a perfect place for an art school.

Natchez has the perfect personality to house an art school, she said.

&8220;It has the same personality &8212; genteelness, hospitality and refinement &8212; as Savannah,&8221; home to Savannah School of Art and Design, she said. &8220;I think Natchez is probably ready for a new baby.&8221;

If such a school was housed in the Margaret Martin School, Boelte said any business or organization already in the building would definitely not be asked to leave.

In the meantime, Boelte said she hopes to help set up some arts programs, including a masters art class taught by a famous painter.

She said any help or input anyone was interested in giving would be appreciated.

&8220;This has to be more than a one-man show,&8221; she said. &8220;One thing I want to assure people is this is not about taking away a job or taking away somebody&8217;s vision. It&8217;s about community unity, and adding to that vision.&8221;

David Blackburn, director of the Natchez Festival of Music, said he supported the idea of an arts college in Natchez, but he cautioned the idea was still very much in the talking phase.

&8220;We would love to see the arts developed in the city,&8221; Blackburn said. &8220;But it&8217;s just a dream we&8217;re talking about right now.&8221;

The Margaret Martin building is just one option being talked about.

Blackburn said the Festival has a six-year lease on the city-owned building, and if it were to be used as an arts college, some major work would have to be done. The building is decades old, and though it has had some recent repairs, it would take still more.

&8220;How we can incorporate it is to see how to improve the facilities and bring them up to the standards where they can be used for an arts college,&8221; he said. &8220;If the facilities could improve, it would be wonderful.&8221;