Community Arts Center

About

The arts are essential to human development and the well being of society. The Community Arts Center is dedicated to providing a nurturing environment for artists at all levels of their creative journey, encouraging participation in the arts.

Story

Community Arts Center at a Glance

• Community Arts Center is housed on one of Delaware County’s most historic and architecturally interesting properties, an estate built by the Henry P. Dixon family between 1889-1892.

• Community Arts Center offers four semesters of visual arts classes and special workshops for students of all ages and ability in a variety of mediums including ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, jewelry, mixed media, printmaking, photography, music, yoga, and more.

• Community Arts Center’s programs for children include a SUMMER SPREE art camp for children ages 4 to 17, an ARTstart Preschool program, a unique morning pre-school program with a focus on art for children 3 – 5 years old and Lucky Charms, an afternoon arts enrichment program for ages 3 – 6.

• Community Arts Center houses several unique galleries which are available for visual arts exhibitions. They include the Duke Gallery which offers a year-round (6-7 per year) exhibition schedule of local, regional and national artists of prominence, the Fay Freedman Memorial Gallery which features CAC members, the Lounge Gallery which displays featured teachers, the Stairwell/Library Gallery which displays student work, and the BEAdazzle Gallery Wall which features local artists. All exhibits are free, open to the public and are fully handicap accessible.

• Community Arts Center operates an extensive outreach program, ART to go, which provides extra ordinary arts experiences for groups and organizations regardless of their ability to pay. Included in this program is the Chester Community Mural Program, Giggle Gang at Springfield Mall and other community based activities like the Empty Bowl luncheon.

• Community Arts Center hosts a number of music events throughout the year including the Friday Night Live Concert series which brings together live music and live art for three Friday nights in the fall and again in the spring, the Sunday afternoon Tri-State Jazz Society concerts and the all-day, all-ages, free Tie-Dye Music Festival in the summer.

• Community Arts Center hosts special community fundraising events during the year including the annual Fine Arts and Crafts Festival where attendees can buy high quality original art directly from the Tri-State area’s best artists and artisans and the Holiday Sale which provides a one-stop shopping destination for handcrafted artisan gifts not found in regular retail stores.

• Community Arts Center is home to the gift shop, BEAdazzle which offers handmade gifts in a variety of styles and types for every occasion provided by local and regional artists with all proceeds from sales benefitting the Community Arts Center and the artist.

• Community Arts Center has a number of rental spaces available for weddings, corporate or special events. Rental spaces include the 3100 square foot Duke Gallery which boasts soaring ceilings, post and beam construction and beautiful light, the Ballroom which features custom woodwork, chandeliers and two fireplaces and Smith Court which has beautiful stained glass windows. The historic stone water tower on the grounds of CAC is also a perfect place to take special event photos.

• Community Arts Center is home to The Potters Guild, a diverse community of professional clay artists sharing a love of clay and exploring its power to connect and communicate.