The big day came and the Opening Celebration was a resounding success! People came...they stayed...they ate...they danced...they smiled at the art of their children. The Planning Committee had hoped to attract 200 people, which is about exactly the number that attended. Many regular Museum patrons were among the attendees and expressed joy and enthusiasm about the exhibition and the participation from the Hispanic community. Print media coverage of the event was excellent and a lengthy article featuring Romero Rodriguez appeared the following week.

Committee members were thrilled by the attendance and by the spontaneity of the participants. The youth art exhibit drew many members of the Hispanic community to the celebration. The sense of pride that was displayed by parents seeing their children’s art on display was obvious. Some parents and other members of the Hispanic community had never been inside this or any other museum of art before; some had never even seen the inside of Century Center. But it seemed that any trepidation about coming into this unknown and potentially uncomfortable venue was quickly replaced by a sense of awe and excitement. Participants quickly became caught up in the "festival" atmosphere which provided a level of comfort within these new surroundings. The Museum space was warmly inviting and the exhibits were visually stimulating; one could not help but be swept up in this atmosphere of beauty and joy. One committee member described the event as a "feast for all the senses!"

The success of the opening celebration was more than a little "shocking" to some committee members and almost everyone felt a sense of "relief" when it was over. It most assuredly boosted everyone’s confidence. The committee knew it had done something good–for the artistic world, the Hispanic community, the Museum and all of Michiana. One committee member said she thought the opening celebration "...opened up the mind of the community".