An art centre or arts center is distinct from an

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. A ...

. An arts centre is a functional

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

space, gallery space, venues for

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

al performance, workshop areas, educational facilities, technical equipment, etc. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, "art centers" are generally either establishments geared toward exposing, generating, and making accessible art making to arts-interested individuals, or buildings that rent primarily to artists, galleries, or companies involved in art making. In Britain, the Bluecoat Society of Arts was founded in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

in 1927 following the efforts of a group of artists and art lovers who had occupied

Bluecoat Chambers Built in 1716–17 as a charity school, Bluecoat Chambers in School Lane is the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool, England. Following the Liverpool Blue Coat School's move to another site in 1906, the building was rented from 1907 ...

since 1907. Most British art centres began after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and gradually changed from mainly

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...

places to 1960s and 1970s

trendy A fad or trend is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short period. Fads are objects or behaviors that achieve short ...

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

centres and eventually in the 1980s to serving the ''whole'' community with a programme of enabling access to wheelchair users and disabled individuals and groups. In the rest of Europe it is common among most art centres that they are partly government funded, since they are considered to have a positive influence on society and economics according to the

Rhineland model The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...

philosophy. Many of those organisations started in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

spaces and were later legalized.

List of arts centres

Dadong Art Center Large Performance Hall

Americas

Canada

* Calgary, Alberta: Arts Commons * Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island:

Confederation Centre of the Arts Confederation Centre of the Arts (french: Centre des arts de la Confédération) is a cultural centre dedicated to the visual and performing arts located in the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. History Construction of Confeder ...

* Ottawa, Ontario: National Arts Centre * Toronto, Ontario:

Toronto Centre for the Arts The Meridian Arts Centre is a performing arts venue in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened on October 16, 1993, as the North York Performing Arts Centre and was designed by Canadian architect Eberhard Zeidler for musica ...

* Vancouver, British Columbia: Firehall Arts Centre *Winnipeg, Manitoba: Manitoba Centennial Centre

United States

* Arlington, Virginia: Artisphere * Atlanta, Georgia: Eyedrum * Chicago, Illinois: Hairpin Arts Center,

Hyde Park Art Center The Hyde Park Art Center (HPAC) is a visual arts organization and the oldest Alternative exhibition spaces, alternative exhibition space in the city of Chicago. Since 2006, HPAC has been located just north of Hyde Park Boulevard, at 5020 S.Cornell ...

, Lillstreet Art Center, South Side Community Art Center * Dallas, Texas: The Dallas Contemporary * Indianapolis, Indiana: Indianapolis Art Center * Milford, Pennsylvania: Pike County Arts and Crafts * Minneapolis, Minnesota:

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, t ...

* New York City, New York:

Apexart Apexart is a non-profit art space located in Manhattan, New York, that focuses on challenging the gallery system and democratizing the process by which art is curated and exhibited. The organization was founded by Steven Rand in 1994. Exhibit ...

, Exit Art,

International Studio & Curatorial Program International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) is a contemporary art institution that runs an international residency program and related exhibitions and events based in Brooklyn, New York. ISCP's exhibitions, talks, screenings and lectures gene ...

* Philadelphia: Painted Bride Art Center * Pittsburgh:

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (PCA) is a non-profit community arts campus that offers arts education programs and contemporary art exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It also provides services and resources for artists th ...

Pittsburgh Glass Center The Pittsburgh Glass Center is a gallery, glass studio, and public-access school dedicated to teaching, creating and promoting studio glass art. It is located on Penn Avenue in the Friendship neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It has features works by ...

* Raleigh, North Carolina: Pullen Park

Europe

Belgium

* Ghent: Vooruit Italy

France

* Nantes: Le Lieu unique

The Netherlands

* Amsterdam:

OT301 OT301 is a self-managed social centre in a legalized squat in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, located on Overtoom 301. History The former Dutch film academy was squatted in 1999 by a group of artists. After being a breeding ground for a number of ...

* Nijmegen:

Extrapool Extrapool is a Nijmegen based non-profit foundation and an artist-run initiativehttp://www.bataforum.nl/alternatievestadsgids?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=9 focused on experimental music, movies, avant-garde art and underground art. Extrapool wa ...

* Rotterdam:

WORM Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...

Spain

Matadero Madrid Matadero Madrid is the site of a former slaughterhouse, the El Matadero y Mercado Municipal de Ganados (English: Municipal Slaughterhouse and Cattle Market) in the Arganzuela district of Madrid. Today, it is a contemporary arts centre. History ...

*Gijón:

LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (Art and Industrial Creation Centre) is an exhibition centre in Gijón, Spain, for art, science, technology and advanced visual industries. It is also a venue for artistic and technological productio ...

United Kingdom

*Aberystwyth: Aberystwyth Arts Centre (1970–present) *Belfast Metropolitan Arts Centre (2012–present) *Birmingham: mac (1962–present) *Bristol: **

Cube Microplex The Cube Microplex is cinema and event venue in Bristol, England. It operates as a non-profit cooperative and is entirely staffed by volunteers. Since opening in 1998 it has hosted international and local artistic and cultural events including f ...

formally Bristol Arts Centre (1964–present) ** Arnolfini (1961–present) *Cambridgeshire:

Wysing Arts Centre Wysing Arts Centre is a contemporary arts residency centre and campus for artistic production, experimentation and learning in South Cambridgeshire, England. The centre was established in 1989 and completed a £1.7 million capital developm ...

(1989–present) *Cardiff: Chapter Arts Centre (1971–present) *Coventry: Warwick Arts Centre (?–present) *Derby:

Quad Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to: Government * Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States * Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...

(2008–present) *Dundee: Dundee Contemporary Arts (1999–present) *Edinburgh:

Summerhall Summerhall is an arts complex and events venue in Edinburgh, Scotland. Formerly home to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies of the University of Edinburgh, it is now a major Edinburgh Festival Fringe visual and performing arts venue. ...

(as arts centre, 2011–present) *Fareham:

Ashcroft Arts Centre Ashcroft Arts Centre is a performing arts venue in Fareham, Hampshire. It is named after Dame Peggy Ashcroft, and opened by her in 1989, after being refurbished from its original use as a school. Since 2014, the arts centre has been operated by ...

(1989–present) *Glasgow: **

Third Eye Centre The Third Eye Centre was a contemporary arts centre in Glasgow, founded by Scottish writer Tom McGrath in 1975. The building was at 350 Sauchiehall Street, close to the Glasgow School of Art, and was purchased by the Scottish Arts Council. The ve ...

(1975–1991) ** Centre for Contemporary Arts (1992–present) *Havant: The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre (?–present) *Leicester:

Attenborough Arts Centre The Attenborough Arts Centre is an arts centre on Lancaster Road, Leicester, United Kingdom. It is the University of Leicester arts centre but also serves Leicester as a whole. The centre's access and inclusive work has been recognised, through ...

(?–present) *Liverpool:

the Bluecoat Built in 1716–17 as a charity school, Bluecoat Chambers in School Lane is the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool, England. Following the Liverpool Blue Coat School's move to another site in 1906, the building was rented from 1907 ...

(1927–present) *London: **

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

(1982–present) ** Camden Arts Centre (1965 (as Hampstead Arts Centre)–present) **

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

(1951–present) **

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a Grade ...

(1980–present) *Manchester: ** Cornerhouse (1985–2015) **

HOME A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

(2015–present) *Newcastle:

Newcastle Arts Centre The Newcastle Arts Centre is a fine and performing arts centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. History The Newcastle Arts Centre was founded in July 1981 by Mike and Norma Tilley. The centre was formed in a block of seven abandoned buildings ...

(founded 1980, opened 1988–present) *Nottingham:

Nottingham Contemporary Nottingham Contemporary (formerly known as the Centre for Contemporary Art Nottingham (CCAN)) is a contemporary art centre in the Lace Market area of Nottingham. The gallery opened in 2009. The gallery describes its site as being "the oldest in ...

(2009–present) *Norwich:

Norwich Arts Centre Norwich Arts Centre is a live music venue, theatre and art gallery located in St Benedict's Street in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It has a capacity of 260 for standing music concerts and 120 for seated events. In November 2014, it was named "Brita ...

(1977–present) *Omagh:

Strule Arts Centre Strule Arts Centre ( ga, Ionad Ealaíne na Sruthaile; Ulster-Scots: ''Strule Hoose o Airts'') is a multi-purpose arts venue in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The Omagh tourist information office is located on the ground floor. The centr ...

(?–present) *Plymouth: Plymouth Arts Centre (1947–present)

Middle East

Palestine *

Gerard Behar Center Gerard Behar Center ( he, מרכז ז'ראר בכר) is a major arts centre in Jerusalem, Israel, for independent theatre, dance, and musical productions, children's shows, art exhibitions, artist workshops, and festivals. In 2010 the center host ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Asia

China

Huaxia Art Centre Huaxia Art Centre is a facility for art and culture located on the outskirts of the Overseas Chinese Town in the Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Nanshan District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China. The centre was completed in 1990 and opened i ...

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

Indonesia

Ciputra Artpreneur Ciputra Artpreneur at Kuningan Jakarta offers a 1,157-seat International Standard Theater, Multi-Function Hall accommodating up to 2,000 guests, and Dr. (HC) Ir. Ciputra’s private museum displaying 32 paintings & 18 sketches of Hendra Gunawan. ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

Philippines

* National Arts Center,

Los Baños, Laguna Los Baños, officially the Municipality of Los Baños ( tgl, Bayan ng Los Baños), colloquialy 'elbi' or simply LB, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 115,353 ...

* Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex,

City of Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

Taiwan

* Changhua: Lukang Artist Village,

National Changhua Living Art Center The National Changhua Living Art Center () is an arts center in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the n ...

* Chiayi City:

Art Site of Chiayi Railway Warehouse The Art Site of Chiayi Railway Warehouse () is a historical warehouse in West District, Chiayi City, Taiwan. History In 1999, the Taiwan Provincial Government chose Chiayi City as the place for the Art Network of Railway Warehouse due to its p ...

Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park The Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park () or G9 Creative Park is a multi-purpose park in West District, Chiayi City, Taiwan. History The area was originally opened in 1916 as Chiayi Brewery by the Japanese government. In 1922, the br ...

* Hsinchu City:

Hsinchu City Art Site of Railway Warehouse The Hsinchu City Art Site of Railway Warehouse () is a historical warehouse in East District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. History The building was originally constructed in 1941 as a station warehouse. In 2004, it was converted into the Hsinchu City ...

, National Hsinchu Living Arts Center * Hualien:

Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park The Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park () is a multi-purpose park in Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan. History The buildings in the area used to be constructed during the Japanese rule of Taiwan The island of Taiwan, toge ...

* Kaohsiung: Dadong Arts Center,

Meinong Cultural and Creative Center The Meinong Cultural and Creative Center () is a multi-purpose park in Meinong District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in ...

National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, also known as Weiwuying, (), is located in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan and has been acknowledged as the largest performance arts center under one roof in the world while owning the largest pipe org ...

, Pier-2 Art Center * Keelung:

Embrace Cultural and Creative Park The Embrace Cultural and Creative Park () is a multi-purpose park in Xinyi District, Keelung, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the ...

* Miaoli:

Wu Chuo-liu Art and Cultural Hall The Wu Chuo-liu Art and Cultural Hall () is an art and cultural center in Xihu Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Sea ...

* New Taipei: Banqiao 435 Art Zone,

Xinzhuang Culture and Arts Center The Xinzhuang Culture and Arts Center () is an art and cultural center in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei, Taiwan. History The preparation for the center started in 1990. In 1991–1992, the center committee observed features from various cultur ...

* Pingtung: Pingtung Performing Arts Center * Taichung: Taichung City Tun District Art Center,

Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park The Cultural Heritage Park (CHP; ) is a multifunctional park in South District, Taichung, Taiwan. History The buildings in the park were originally built in 1916 as brewery factory during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. After the handover of Ta ...

, Taichung Shiyakusho * Tainan:

Blueprint Culture and Creative Park The Blueprint Culture and Creative Park (BCP; ) is a multi-purpose park in South District, Tainan, Taiwan. History The park was opened in December 2015. Architecture The park was built from old abandoned judicial houses () which have been re ...

National Tainan Living Arts Center The National Tainan Living Arts Center () is an arts center in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. It handles the cultural-related affairs among communities for the counties in southern Taiwan. History The center was originally initiated in ...

* Taipei:

Huashan 1914 Creative Park The Huashan 1914 Creative Park () is a multi-purpose park in Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. History Empire of Japan What is now Huashan 1914 Creative Park opened in 1914 as Taihoku Winery during Japanese rule. It was privately owned w ...

Mind Set Art Center The Mind Set Art Center (MSAC; ) is a contemporary art gallery in Daan District, Taipei City, Daan District, Taipei, Taiwan, predominantly known for its specialty in representing emerging artists around the world, in particular Taiwanese artists. ...

, National Taiwan Arts Education Center, Puppetry Art Center of Taipei,

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park The Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (SSCC; ) is a multifunctional park in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The park was initially constructed in 1937 as a tobacco factory under the name under the Japanese government. After Japan ...

, Taipei City Arts Promotion Office * Taitung:

National Taitung Living Art Center The National Taitung Living Art Center () is an art center in Taitung City, Taitung County, Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the nor ...

, Taitung Railway Art Village * Taoyuan: Taoyuan Arts Center, Zhongli Arts Hall * Yilan: National Center for Traditional Arts

Thailand

* Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

References

{{Art world , state=autocollapse Arts centres Types of art museums and galleries Contemporary art galleries