Actor and comedian David Spade was among the performers at Tempe Center for the Arts’ annual gala on Saturday, which celebrated the Center’s second anniversary.

Friends of Tempe Center for the Arts hosted the event to raise awareness and support for the center, the group’s president Gail Fisher said.

It helps to raise money to fund programming like the TCA’s monthly jazz series and monthly concerts by local musicians to raise awareness about the arts in the community, she said.

“The arts are very important to the quality of life,” Fisher said. “It has the power to lift you up, which is especially important with the way things are now.”

The TCA has been drawing attention from people all over the region because of the events it hosts, Fisher said, specifically mentioning the jazz series.

“The TCA is doing very well,” Fisher said. “But there are still people who are discovering the TCA and how wonderful it is.”

Fisher said David Spade, who grew up in Scottsdale, is a great example of a local guy making it big in the arts business. Jazz group the Bob Ravenscroft Trio performed as well.

Don Fassinger, a manager at the Tempe Center for the Arts, said the idea for the TCA came from the community’s call for more art education.

“[It] spawned about 12 or 13 years ago by Tempe residents who had a dream for a performing arts center in their community.”

Fassinger said the center has been a tremendous success since it opened in September 2007. Its official two-year anniversary was on Wednesday.

About 600,000 people have used the center during 1,400 events in the venue’s first two years, he said.

Fassinger said the anniversary gala allows Friends of TCA to “spotlight the facility” and show people how “gorgeous, beautiful and state-of-the-art the center is.”

Michael Spreeman, an ASU graduate who built the center’s concert piano and attended the gala, said he has been in art centers all over the world but especially likes the Tempe center’s modern design.

“[It’s] exciting to see something with such contemporary flair,” he said.

Spreeman’s company makes three to four custom, hand-made pianos each year, he said.

“I’d do anything to help support the arts,” Spreeman said.

He said he especially believes in the importance of art education and that TCA has reached out to many people in this area.

“There’s nothing like music,” Spreeman said. “[The TCA gives] an opportunity for artists to present themselves like never before.”

Reach the reporter at paige.soucie@asu.edu.