Please note: ALL CAC CLASSES AND PROGRAMMING ARE CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Out of an abundance of caution, and in the best interest of our residents, guests and employees, Columbus Recreation and Parks Department is proceeding with caution and closing all facilities due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) effective at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 13. This includes the Cultural Arts Center, the Golden Hobby Shop and the Columbus Performing Arts Center, as well as the rest of our community centers. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department will begin the refund process on behalf of our customers. The City of Columbus will mail refunds by check. These refunds will be processed and mailed by April 30. If you have questions about this process, contact CAC Assistant Arts Administrator Todd Camp at tmcamp@columbus.gov. For more information on the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s response to the coronavirus, visit columbus.gov/RecParksCOVID19/
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!
A Letter to the CAC Community
Read a letter from CAC Arts Administrator Geoffrey Martin detailing what we’ve been working on since the center closed, including our class refunds, ways you can help artists, and some plans we have to keep you inspired…
Need a little Inspiration?
Feeling the COVID 19 doldrums?
We’ve asked our staff for some of their favorite art related web links. Things you can try or experience at home…
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: