Initative for A Sustainable ArtsCenter
The ArtsCenter is mission driven: to provide arts for all, to support our community of young and adult art students, and to create and inspiring, safe space for the visual arts, crafts and design, and music.
We are a place of urgent possibilities, too. The ArtsCenter has grown in recent years; we are in a great new location, and we are serving more members of the community than ever before.
We are in a state-of-the-art-facility, and that means that we can provide more programming for our community including classes in traditional arts such as ceramics or painting to exciting new makerspace opportunities such as laser cutting workshops or classes exploring Adobe Creative Suite in our Digital Lab.
To get to this new space, we had to take on some important financial burdens. Today, we need to address long term financial debt totaling $5 M. We aim to pay off this debt over the next three years. This will position us well for the future.
So what is our urgent possibility? We must address our loans to create a sustainable future. An anonymous donor has pledged a $125,000 incentive gift to support The ArtsCenter and reduce its long-term financial obligations. The terms are simple and powerful: for every $2 given, the donor contributes $1, up to a total of $125,000.
This incentive gift is meant to encourage members of The ArtsCenter community to contribute toward the costs of our exciting new building.
Last year, thanks to donors like you, we successfully leveraged $25,000 of this gift by raising nearly $89,000 for our operating expenses. Now, as we are turning our attention to the remaining $100,000 of the match, we are pleased to share that two other donors have stepped forward to add $70,000 to this incentive gift. We now have the opportunity to raise an additional $510,000 but only with your help! This will not reduce our debt entirely, but it will give us a bit more breathing room as we move forward.
We hope you’ll join us by making a gift. On this website, you will find fun and important facts about The ArtsCenter, read stories of how important it is to our community, and more. I know you will be inspired.
Thank you for your generous attention.
Jackie Tanner, Chair
The ArtsCenter Board of Directors
Teaching Kindness with Willa Brigham
Willa Brigham is a storyteller and visual artist who teaches in the Artist in Residence (AIR) Program – a partnership between the ArtsCenter and Orange County Public Schools to get arts programming into classrooms. She has been a part of the AIR Program since 2022 though she came with decades of experience in children’s storytelling and arts.
“We are in a time where kindness is a lost commodity.
This program creates a residual effect of kindness, appreciation and joy."
When asked about what she loves about working with young artists she said, “You get
to paid to play, to teach, educate, motivate, and inspire all under one roof and it doesn’t
get any better than that.” Her style of instruction is rich with animated storytelling,
empowerment, and joy through learning. Being in the
classroom with her is like stepping directly into a
children’s TV show, and you simply cannot help
but smile and sing along. For her, integrating arts
into classroom education is important because
it increases retention and gets the students to
engage with curriculum in imaginative ways.
Building Confidence with Seraia
When Seraia came to us at the ArtsCenter, she was 5 years old and basically nonverbal. She was incredibly shy and had a difficult time opening up to anyone. Over the course of a few months in our AfterSchool program, she slowly started to open up to various members of the staff and other peers. We once sat down to read together during AfterSchool checkout, and every day after that she would bring another book for us to read together.
“I love it here because I get to make art and it's one of my favorite things ever to do."
Each day she became more confident in her reading skills and continued to grow in her confidence when interacting with others. Seraia quickly became one of our chattiest kids here at the ArtsCenter. She now leads other kids in games, crafts, and shenanigans on the regular.
Rediscovering Creativity with Jess Webb
In the summer of 2024, Jess Webb stopped by The ArtsCenter and donated some thirty paintings of hers in hopes that we could re-use the canvases. However, when The ArtsCenter’s gallery manager saw the canvases, she reached out to Jess to ask if she would be open to a gallery show featuring her work. Jess was delighted and
started planning an exhibition. In the meantime, she decided to take classes with Luna Lee Ray and began painting again. Her artwork hung in our gallery space and she sold pieces.
"Encouraged by the wonderful staff at the ArtsCenter, my creativity was reignited and after a two year pause, I am painting again."
Ever enjoying a varied and interesting life which still inspires her creativity, her 80 years taught her mostly about engaging in the heartfelt art of living. However, before coming to The ArtsCenter, she became uninterested in continuing artistic pursuits. The ArtsCenter staff, teaching artists and the gallery program helped her to discover her creativity again and we all were reminded that there is no age limit to being a successful artist.
Providing Opportunities with Heather Nash
Heather Nash, a mixed media/collage artist
and a performing artist has been taking
classes at The ArtsCenter for twenty-five
years…half of their life! They began with
visual arts including bookbinding, collage
and mixed media. Then in 2019, they were
invited to work on “Affordable Housing: the
Musical”, a community-engaged theater
piece about affordable housing in Orange
County, rooted in the lived experiences of
workshop participants.
"I’m low-income, so I wouldn’t be able to afford these opportunities that have been so important to me otherwise!"
But then COVID hit, and they couldn’t do live performances. About this time, Heather discovered Improv classes taught by Anoo Brod at The ArtsCenter. “She’s just the greatest teacher. I used to do theatre in high school, but it’s harder to remember lines now, so I love the spontaneity of improv.” Heather has been able to continue her artistic journey at The ArtsCenter in large part because of our scholarship program.
Measuring the Impact of the ArtsCenter
What is the ArtsCenter?
The ArtsCenter is a non-profit with a mission to educate and inspire artistic creativity and to enrich the lives of people of all ages. The vision of The ArtsCenter is to create an educational environment that provides opportunities, inspirations, and tools to people of all ages and skill levels to participate in the arts.
Why the New Building?
The ArtsCenter is 51 years old. We have been serving our community since 1974. Today, we are in a newly renovated space at 400 Roberson Street, Carrboro, NC 27510.
Since our inception, The ArtsCenter has grown from a single arts classroom into a dynamic multi-disciplinary educational arts center offering ceramics; drawing/painting/mixed media; fabric/fiber arts; jewelry/glass; photography/film/digital arts; woodworking/laser cutting/3D printing; dance/movement; theatre; and writing.
We moved to a new space in 2023. That means we have grown! The new building has been a game changer. We are serving a larger, more diverse patron base than ever before. Not only are our education and performance programs growing, our outreach across our community is growing.
We have integrated makerspace technology into our traditional arts programs. This is attracting new patrons and providing a great resource for users of our traditional spaces and studios.
How does the ArtsCenter impact the local and regional community?
The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro named TAC 2024 Non-Profit of the Year.
In 2024, we increased our ArtSchool class offerings by 63%, from 127 classes in 2023 to 321 classes in 2024.
We are the largest employer of artists in Orange County. In 2024, we employed nearly 300 individual artists.
Beyond education, The ArtsCenter serves as a cultural hub through live theatrical performances, concerts, and gallery exhibitions. These events are often created in partnership with community organizations, local businesses, schools, and governmental agencies. Each year, The ArtsCenter provides more than 100,000 arts experiences! We deliver arts programming to people of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels both at our facility in downtown Carrboro as well as through our outreach programs spanning across our region.
In 2024, we increased our ArtSchool class offerings by 63%, from 127 classes in 2023 to 321 classes in 2024.
We are the largest employer of artists in Orange County. In 2024, we employed nearly 300 individual artists.
Beyond education, The ArtsCenter serves as a cultural hub through live theatrical performances, concerts, and gallery exhibitions. These events are often created in partnership with community organizations, local businesses, schools, and governmental agencies. Each year, The ArtsCenter provides more than 100,000 arts experiences! We deliver arts programming to people of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels both at our facility in downtown Carrboro as well as through our outreach programs spanning across our region.
How does the ArtsCenter impact arts Education in Orange County?
Our AfterSchool program welcomes 100 children to The ArtsCenter every week to explore diverse artforms with professional teaching artists, in an environment that is safe and nuturing.