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. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

. 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 c ...

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 perfor ...

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 aspe ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, "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 Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, the Bluecoat Society of Arts was founded in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

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 190 ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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. Com ...

places to 1960s and 1970s trendy,

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 Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

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 philosophy. Many of those organisations started in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s as squatted spaces and were later legalized.

List of arts centres

Dadong Art Center Large Performance Hall

Americas

Canada

* Calgary, Alberta:

Arts Commons Arts Commons (Formerly EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts) is a multi-venue arts centre in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada, located in the Olympic Plaza Cultural District. Occupying a full city block, Arts Commons is a multi-level complex m ...

* 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 Confede ...

* Ottawa, Ontario:

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of ...

* Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Centre for the Arts * Vancouver, British Columbia:

Firehall Arts Centre The Firehall Arts Centre (also called the Firehall Centre for the Arts) is an arts centre in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The building also falls within the borders of Gastown. Firehall is a small building, original ...

*Winnipeg, Manitoba:

Manitoba Centennial Centre Manitoba Centennial Centre is an arts and cultural district that covers a 34-acre area in the east Exchange District of the Point Douglas area in Winnipeg, Manitoba, linking several of Manitoba's important arts and cultural facilities. It includ ...

United States

* Arlington, Virginia:

Artisphere Artisphere was an arts center located in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia. The center encompassed four performance venues, three visual art galleries, an artist in residence studio, a 4,000 square foot ballroom, studio space, social g ...

* Atlanta, Georgia:

Eyedrum Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery is a non-profit art space and venue in Atlanta, Georgia, founded by American painter Woody Cornwell and musician and journalist Marshall Avett in 1998, and focused on contemporary art and experimental music ranging fro ...

* Chicago, Illinois:

Hairpin Arts Center The Hairpin Arts Center is a community art center in the historic Morris B. Sachs building within the Chicago Community Area of Avondale at the gateway to Chicago's Polish Village. The space is managed by the Logan Square Chamber of Arts, a 501(c ...

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

Lillstreet Art Center Lillstreet Art Center is an arts center in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is one of the oldest and most successful co-ops in Chicago and its facilities include classrooms for arts education, a gallery, an artist residency program, studio spa ...

South Side Community Art Center The South Side Community Art Center is a community art center in Chicago that opened in 1940 with support from the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project in Illinois. Opened in Bronzeville in an 1893 mansion, it became the first blac ...

* Dallas, Texas:

The Dallas Contemporary Dallas Contemporary, founded in 1978, is a contemporary art museum located in the Design District of Dallas, Texas. Description Dallas Contemporary is a non-collecting art museum presenting new and challenging ideas from regional, national and in ...

* Indianapolis, Indiana:

Indianapolis Art Center The Indianapolis Art Center is an art center located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The Center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the White ...

* 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, to ...

* 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. Exhibiti ...

Exit Art Exit Art was a non-profit cultural center that ran from 1982 to 2012 that exhibited contemporary visual art, installation, video, theater, and performance in New York City, United States. In its last location in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, it was ...

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 The Painted Bride Art Center, sometimes referred to informally as The Bride, is a non-profit artist-centered performance space and gallery particularly oriented to presenting the work of local Philadelphia artists, which presents dance, jazz, w ...

* 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 Pullen Park is a public park immediately west of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is located on Ashe Avenue and is adjacent to the Main and Centennial campuses of North Carolina State University, covering an area between Western Boulevard and ...

Europe

Belgium

* Ghent:

Vooruit Vooruit ( nl, Kunstencentrum Vooruit, ) is a historic complex in Ghent, Belgium. Vooruit was originally the festival and art center of the Ghent-based labor movement, with a ballroom, cinema, theater, etc. It is now mainly used for concerts a ...

Italy

France

* Nantes: Le Lieu unique

The Netherlands

* Amsterdam: OT301 * Nijmegen: Extrapool * 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 producti ...

United Kingdom

*Aberystwyth:

Aberystwyth Arts Centre Aberystwyth Arts Centre (Welsh: ''Canolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth'') is an arts centre in Wales, located on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus. One of the largest in Wales, it comprises a theatre (312 seats), concert hall (900 seats), s ...

(1970–present) *Belfast

Metropolitan Arts Centre The Metropolitan Arts Centre, usually referred to as the MAC, is an arts venue in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter and is home to all kinds of exhibitions, theatre performances, experimental works. The MAC is a cultural hub and a vital shared space ...

(2012–present) *Birmingham: mac (1962–present) *Bristol: ** Cube Microplex formally Bristol Arts Centre (1964–present) **

Arnolfini Arnolfini is an international arts centre and gallery in Bristol, England. It has a programme of contemporary art exhibitions, artist's performance, music and dance events, poetry and book readings, talks, lectures and cinema. There is also a ...

(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 Chapter Arts Centre (often just referred to as Chapter) is an arts centre in Canton, Cardiff, Wales, opened in 1971. Description Chapter hosts films, plays, performance art and live music, and includes a free art gallery, café and bars. There ...

(1971–present) *Coventry:

Warwick Arts Centre Warwick Arts Centre is a multi-venue arts complex at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. It attracts around 300,000 visitors a year to over 3,000 individual events embracing all types of theatre and performance, contemporary and cl ...

(?–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 Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) is an art centre in Dundee, Scotland, with two contemporary art galleries, a two-screen cinema, a print studio, a learning and public engagement programme, a shop and a café bar. The director of DCA is Beth Bate ...

(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 (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 The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is an arts centre in Glasgow, Scotland. The year-round programme includes exhibitions, film, music, literature, festivals, spoken word, Gaelic and performances. The Centre commissions new work from artists ...

(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 (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 exhib ...

(1982–present) **

Camden Arts Centre Camden Art Centre (formerly known as Hampstead Arts Centre until 1967 and Camden Arts Centre until 2020) is a contemporary art gallery in the London Borough of Camden, England that hosts temporary exhibitions and educational outreach projects. T ...

(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 Nati ...

(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 I ...

(1980–present) *Manchester: **

Cornerhouse Cornerhouse was a centre for cinema and the contemporary visual arts, located next to Oxford Road Station on Oxford Street, Manchester, England, which was active from 1985–2015. It had three floors of art galleries, three cinemas, a booksho ...

(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. ...

(2015–present) *Newcastle: Newcastle Arts Centre (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 i ...

(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 c ...

(?–present) *Plymouth:

Plymouth Arts Centre Plymouth Arts Cinema is an independent cinema based at Plymouth College of Art. It screens new independent cinema from all around the world, classic films, along with festivals, special events, and Open Air Cinema. Plymouth Arts Centre was a cent ...

(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 hos ...

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,

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 provi ...

Indonesia

* Ciputra Artpreneur,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

Philippines

National Arts Center The National Arts Center is a building complex situated in Mount Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines. The establishment was inaugurated in 1976. Its theater is the Tanghalang Maria Makiling or the NAC Center, which has an audience capac ...

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 city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

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. History The center was established in 1955. See also * List of tourist attractions in Taiwan ...

* Chiayi City: Art Site of Chiayi Railway Warehouse,

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 b ...

* Hsinchu City: Hsinchu City Art Site of Railway Warehouse, National Hsinchu Living Arts Center * Hualien: Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park * 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. History The area used to be a police station building which was built in 1902 at the political and economical center of Meinong. The are ...

, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts,

Pier-2 Art Center The Pier-2 Art Center () is an art center in Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History The arts center was originally an abandoned warehouse site due to Kaohsiung's shift from industrial city to service city. The warehouses were built in 1 ...

* Keelung: Embrace Cultural and Creative Park * Miaoli: Wu Chuo-liu Art and Cultural Hall * New Taipei: Banqiao 435 Art Zone, Xinzhuang Culture and Arts Center * Pingtung:

Pingtung Performing Arts Center The Pingtung Performing Arts Center () is a performance center in Pingtung City, Pingtung County, Taiwan. The performing arts center is Southern Taiwan’s first county/city-level concert hall with a pipe organ. Built by the Alexander Schuke Po ...

* Taichung:

Taichung City Tun District Art Center The Taichung City Tun District Art Center (TTDAC; ) is an art center in Taiping District, Taichung, Taiwan as a primary venue for performing arts, music, fine arts and cultural promotion. It is the subordinate institute to Taichung City Cultural ...

, Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park,

Taichung Shiyakusho The Taichung Shiyakusho () is a historical building in West District, Taichung, Taiwan. History The building was constructed in 1911 as a municipal building under the Japanese rule of Taiwan. The building underwent renovation in 2014 and was r ...

* Tainan: Blueprint Culture and Creative Park,

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, Mind Set Art Center,

National Taiwan Arts Education Center The National Taiwan Arts Education Center () is an educational center in Taipei Botanical Garden, Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The center was originally built inside the Taipei Botanical Garden in 1956. It was then opened on 29 ...

Puppetry Art Center of Taipei The Puppetry Art Center of Taipei (PACT; ) is an arts center in Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. History In 1998, Lin Ching-fu, chairperson of the Taiyuan Arts and Culture Foundation, donated his personal collection of puppets which he had be ...

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 c ...

Taipei City Arts Promotion Office Taipei City Arts Promotion Office () is a cultural center in Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The founding preparation and planning stage of the cultural center began in April 1961. It was opened in January 1964 under the Departmen ...

* Taitung: National Taitung Living Art Center, Taitung Railway Art Village * Taoyuan:

Taoyuan Arts Center The Taoyuan Arts Center () is a performance center in Taoyuan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan located in Taoyuan Zhongzheng Arts and Cultural Business District. History The center was opened in 2010. Architecture The building was constructed us ...

, Zhongli Arts Hall * Yilan:

National Center for Traditional Arts The National Center for Traditional Arts (NCFTA; ) or also called Center for Traditional Arts is located by the river bank of Dongshan River in Wujie Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. The center's total area is 24 hectares. The goal of the cent ...

Thailand

Bangkok Art and Culture Centre Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC; th, หอศิลปวัฒนธรรมแห่งกรุงเทพมหานคร) is a contemporary arts centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Art, music, theatre, film, design and cultural/educatio ...

References

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