Benefits With Friends: Center for Art becomes Arts On Main

Between 5 and 6 p.m. on Oct. 16, patrons of the Center for Art & Education will remember the joys and accomplishments of the past half-century, view the Salon Show hanging on its walls and then turn out the lights at its home at 104 N. 13th St. in Van Buren.

It is a farewell of sorts, but not a cause for dismay. The party -- and the arts center -- will move on to 415 Main St., where the 501(c)3 nonprofit will be rebranded Arts On Main. The evening will conclude with food, drinks, live music and swing dancing, but the expansion of Arts On Main is only just beginning.

"The new facility will allow the art center to increase its program offerings significantly," says Executive Director Jane Owen. "There will be four gallery spaces with additional wall space available throughout the building, and on the second floor there will classroom studios, staff offices and a library. There will also be a culinary arts studio/kitchen and a multi-purpose studio. A separate building in the garden area will provide two 'dirty' studio spaces, one of which will be a pottery/ceramics workshop. Every space will be filled with intentional art learning experiences that will engage all the senses and [will be] handicapped accessible."

For most of 50 years, the Center for Art & Education "has served the people of the Arkansas River Valley by hosting art and cultural exhibits and events, promoting art education, and providing a venue for local artists," says Terri Burt, the organization's marketing manager. "We strive to create art experiences that improve the lives of children and adults through art programs that are presented at schools, in adult centers, in our studio, in traveling art classes and exhibitions. These events impact the lives of more than 5,000 residents each year."

While Arts On Main will continue all of its past offerings, among the new opportunities, Burt and Owen are perhaps the most excited about the Culinary Arts Studio.

"Plans are to provide culinary classes in the new facility's kitchen, as well as it serving as a warming and serving kitchen for community events at the new Center," Owen explains. "The classes will be based on seasonal themes and will be taught by local chefs, several of whom have already committed to conducting classes. Classes would be open to and designed for children, adults, families and couples. This space is expected to ... draw people in who might otherwise not visit an art center."

Burt says the arts center will be moved into the new location by the end of 2021 and will reopen in January 2022 as Arts On Main.

-- Becca Martin-Brown

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