COVID-19 UPDATE: Due to the ongoing public health emergency, the Cultural Arts Center is closed to the public. Please check back for updates or visit columbus.gov/RecParksCOVID19/ for information about all Columbus Recreation and Parks programs.
Columbus, Ohio’s Home for Art Classes & Exhibitions
Welcome to the Cultural Arts Center! Part of the Columbus Recreation & Parks Department, we offer art classes, workshops, exhibitions, gifts and a variety of event and meeting spaces available for rentals. Come visit us and see what we can do for your artistic interests!
An update from CAC's Director
We’ve been closed to the public now for exactly 4 months. Read an update from CAC Arts Administrator Geoffrey Martin to find out what we’ve been working on. You might be surprised about all that is going on behind the scenes…
Read the LetterInstructors Relief Fund
The Friends of the Cultural Arts Center’s mission is to support the activities and facilities of the Center. At this unusual time, we see the need to support our most important asset – our instructors, who have lost counted-on income. Over the years, many of us have enjoyed the encouragement, assistance, and friendship of our instructors. Now is a primary time to show our appreciation.
For these reasons, the Friends have established the Instructors Relief Fund. Any amount is welcome. If you wish, you can honor an instructor, or anyone else who has a love and appreciation for the Center, with your donation. Your donation will help ensure that we continue to have the great instructors that we need to re-establish our artistic lives once the pandemic is over.
Online Auction Benefiting CAC Staff
The Friends of the Cultural Arts Center will be holding an auction to raise money for the Instructors Relief Fund. “Everything But The House” will be coordinating and presenting the virtual event.
We are seeking everything from paintings to sculpture, quality jewelry, crystal, silver, antiques, ceramic ware, old records, even boats and cars! Now is a great time to clear out your basement, attic, garage, cupboards, and closets for things you may have inherited for which you no longer have room.
Drop off times are – Friday, July 24th, from 12:00PM – 6:00PM and Saturday, July 25th, from 9:00AM – 4:00PM. All items must be labeled with your name, address, phone number, and email address. Any additional information you have regarding the artifact or provenance of art work is greatly appreciated. With the exception of EBTH’s administrative fee, all funds will go to the Friends of the Cultural Arts Center’s Instructors Relief Fund.
Our Classes & Workshops
Arts education is a major part of our mission at the Cultural Arts Center. We bring in an impressive group of local artists to teach 7- or 8-week class sessions, which include ceramic, enameling, painting classes, and much more. During the summer, we also offer intensive week-long workshops, taught by artists from all across the country. Our extensive educational offerings are made possible by our fantastic studio spaces, featuring a large assortment of resources for the creation of different artistic media.
MEETING & SPECIAL EVENT RENTALS
Our Gallery Exhibitions
The Cultural Arts Center is home to two galleries showing some of the most impressive work Ohio artists have to offer. Our Main Gallery, with exhibitions typically running about a month and a half, features collections of work following specific themes or in specific artistic media, usually by a variety of artists from across the state.
Meetings, Artist Talks & Tours
We invite visitors to learn more about our exhibitions, and about a wealth of other topics in the art world, through our programming. Our Conversations & Coffee art talks, the city’s longest-running art talk series, has been in operation for more than 35 years. We always make it easy to arrange tours of our galleries, art studios and historic building.
Created: The Art Shop at CAC
We invite visitors to check out Created, the Art Shop at CAC, featuring the work of our art students and faculty. The shop is a great place to find great works of art by established and up-and-coming artists, and presents a great opportunity to support local artists in our community.
About Us
At the Cultural Arts Center we’ve worked hard to cultivate an incredible group of instructional faculty, offer a diverse set of classes and impress visitors with some of the most exciting and unique art exhibitions in the state. Read about the people who make it all possible, as well as our mission to develop and celebrate artists in Ohio and beyond.
Classes
From ceramics and sculpture to metalsmithing and painting, you will always find the offering you are looking for at the highest quality. Our studio classes are offered in 7-8 week sessions with classes that meet once weekly for three hours.
Workshops
For individuals who want to learn more about art and culture but cannot commit to a seven- or eight-week course, we offer a series of summer workshops, most of which consist of a week of full-day instruction and participation.
The Friends of the CAC
For more than 30 years, the Friends of the Cultural Arts Center, a nonprofit volunteer organization, has supported the CAC by acting as a fiscal agent, organizing fundraisers, sponsoring programs and exhibits, providing professional development grants, and more. Read more about the leadership and activities of the FCAC!
Learn MoreWho We Serve
The Cultural Arts Center is part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, playing a valuable role in bringing cultural opportunities to residents of Columbus. As one of the premier arts exhibition spaces and educational facilities in central Ohio, we serve the Department’s important mission of connecting the community through the power of creativity. Our art classes, workshops, exhibits and more also welcome residents of: