Happy Birthday to The Art Center!

Today, February 27, The Art Center officially turns 30 years old!

We started in 1996 as a tiny community art center renting out a single room of the historic Warsaw School, which had been saved and renovated by Mark Burkhalter. Johns Creek didn't exist back then, so we were first known as the Ocee Arts Center. The area looked very different at the time, a far-flung and under-served spot in the north of Fulton County. The Art Center sprung up out of the need for more community spaces and accessible arts education in the area, and now lives on as a legacy arts organization of Fulton County. We grew with our community, eventually moving to our current location in 2005 in order to add a clay studio and a kiln room.

We've weathered a lot of changes over the past three decades, surviving through the Great Recession and the COVID pandemic. We've maintained our services to under-served youth and seniors, provided flexible and supportive employment to practicing artists, and offered accessible gallery exhibitions to the community, some of which feature artists who have exhibited in prestigious galleries like MOMA. We've had students grow up here and return to teach classes, and others go on to pursue thriving careers in the arts.

"My favorite thing about the art center is the people," says Leslie Murphy, one of our teachers with a long tenure here. "I have met so many wonderful artists and art enthusiasts here, many of whom have become dear friends. A few of my students have been with me for 18 of the almost 20 years I have taught here and I am so lucky to have them in my life. I consider these to be close to family. I've also had students start with me as elementary school aged kids, who later took teen painting all through high school. One of those students has been a regular in my advanced painting class now for about 5 or so years and it amazes me that I got to watch her grow up and help her along her artistic journey."

Celebrate With Us

We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary all year long with fun and exciting events. First up, we have the Celebration Student and Member Showcase, sharing the incredible work of our adult students and members. The deadline to apply to the show has been extended to March 5, so don't hesitate if you want to be involved!

In lieu of a traditional reception for the student and member showcase, we are throwing our 30th Birthday Bash on Saturday March 21 from 2:00 pm-6:00 pm. The birthday bash will have something for all ages, from fun games and crafts to live demos and try-it sessions with some of our adult class instructors. There will be a balloon artist, a face painter, and free cake! We invite you to come party with us and then hear the winners of the Student and Member Showcase.

Mark your calendars for Friday September 18! We're hosting a Birthday Gala event at the St. Ives Country Club, a more upscale party experience. We'll have more details on that event very soon.

$30K for 30 Years: Help Us Get an Automatic Front Door and New Clay Studio Doors!

Our front door and clay studio door have been causing ongoing challenges for staff and students, and we want to fix it! To celebrate 30 years, we’re running a fundraiser to raise $30K, which we will use to replace the clay studio doors and to upgrade the front door to one with automated opening capabilities, a push-bar, and a better lock system. We want to make it easier for artists carrying supplies and people using mobility devices to get in and out of the building.

If you want to help us reach our goal, we want to thank you with a special token of appreciation! (These will be printed on demand, so please allow a couple of weeks for printing and delivery)

For a $20 gift, we will give you a thank-you car magnet.

For a $50 gift, we will give you a thank-you hardcover journal

For a $100 gift, we will give you a thank-you deck of cards and an invite to a dessert soiree

For a $200 gift, we will give you a thank-you rocks glass, your choice of a lower level reward, and an invite to a dessert soiree

For a $500 gift, we will give you a thank-you tote bag, your choice of 2 lower level rewards, and an invite to a dessert soiree

For a $1000 gift, we will give you a personalized apron (with either The Art Center logo, the Clay Studio logo, or our birthday logo), your choice of 3 lower level rewards, and an invite to a dessert soiree

If we reach our $30,000 goal, we will be able to replace both the doors and throw a dessert soiree for our $100+ donors. If just a quarter of our email subscription list donates $30, we would reach that goal! But we don't want to stop there. If we reach $40,000 and above, we can also automate the clay studio doors! Any remaining funds will be used to help build up our savings for future expansion goals, but in the meantime we want to make sure we're meeting the needs of our students in the space we have now.

So please join us in our celebration, claim your thank-you gifts, and help us improve the experience of The Art Center! And thank you all for helping us reach 30 years of service in the community!