About Us

CAC opened in 1966 as the Octavio Medellin School of Sculpture in “El Sibil”, in the former studio of famed Southwest painter Frank Reaugh located in Oak Cliff. El Sibil had been purchased by one of Reaugh’s student’s, Estha Josey, to start a public art center led by Octavio Medellin, an important Mexican-American artist whose work can be found in major collections in North Texas and throughout the U.S.

After Medellin’s retirement CAC moved to Kramer Elementary, a deactivated elementary school, where it shared space with the Craft Guild of Dallas until 1989 when DISD reclaimed the school. In 1990 CAC purchased our current home, the old Bayles Elementary, a historic school in East Dallas, built as a WPA project during the Great Depression.

Learn more about our Founder, Octavio Medellín!

Cultivating Creativity for OVER 50 Years

We have been providing visual arts classes to students of all skill levels and experience for over 50 years. The Creative Arts Center of Dallas has become a top adult art education destination within the North Texas area serving a range of students from teenagers to senior citizens and beginning to emerging artists. We offer classes in ceramics, pottery wheel, hand-building, clay sculpture, fiber arts, mosaics, stained glass and fused glass, metal sculpture, stone carving, jewelry and small metals, painting, drawing, mixed media, encaustics, and print making.

Last year 1,500 students took more than 500 classes and workshops at CAC in ceramics, clay sculpture, drawing, fiber, fused glass, jewelry, metal sculpture, mixed media, mosaic, painting, printmaking and stone sculpture.
 
The majority of our teaching artists hold a Bachelor or Master of Fine Arts and have exhibited widely.

A Thriving Arts Community

Located on a two-acre campus four miles east of downtown Dallas, CAC is a safe-haven for artists to exchange ideas, share techniques and explore new creative avenues. We also provide outreach to underserved and children and teens:  Camp MetalHead combines job skills training and arts instruction for at-risk teens in metal and jewelry.

The Creative Arts Center of Dallas (CAC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

1. How are classes priced? 
   CAC prices classes based on a few criteria: Teaching Artist pay, Department Fee, and a CAC income. Our class fees are structured at $12.50 per instructional hour. Our Department Fee keeps the lights on and pays for any facility necessities (kilns, welding equipment, etc.). While CAC is a nonprofit, we try not to rely exclusively on grants or donations; this frees up those funds for community outreach rather than going to our day to day activities.
   How classes are calculated:
   (Non-Member Price OR Member Price) + Department Fee = Total Price
2. What are the benefits of a membership? 
   In addition to other benefits detailed on our MEMBERSHIP page, a membership entitles you to a $30 discount for all classes or workshops you take in the year after you sign up for membership. Your membership is completely tax-deductible.
3. Do I have to purchase my own supplies for classes even though I paid a department fee? 
   Our department fee covers communal department expenses and varies with the class you take.  Materials include easels, demonstration supplies used by the instructor, printed handouts, firing fees, gas for welding equipment and other various equipment supplies. You may still need to bring your own personal art supplies listed in your supply list or discussed the first day of class.
4. What is the Live Model Lab? 
   Live Model Lab: Offered to the community on Sundays – Figure Drawing & Painting from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. There is a facilitator but no formal instruction. You do not have to register or be a member to attend. The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-member per session.
5. Does CAC offer classes for kids? 
   No, we do not offer classes for children except through our outreach programming. We do, however, take students 15 and above with parental permission in our regular programming. Need help finding kid specific art programming? Visit our recommendations here.
6. Does CAC open its glass or ceramics department to the public? 
   No, CAC fires only the work of our currently enrolled students.
7. Do you offer any discounts? 
   Yes, we offer a yearly membership (at a discounted price of $30) to students, teachers, veterans and first responders. With this membership, we offer a $65 discount on class or workshops fees (department materials fee is not included) to qualified teachers, students, first responders, and veterans.
8. Do you offer any scholarships? 
   Yes, we have a limited number of class and workshop fee scholarships available for each session. For more information, visit CAC scholarships here.

CLASS SCHEDULES

Register early. Classes & workshops will be canceled if they do not meet the minimum enrollment three (3) business days before the start date of a class or workshop. CAC Classes & Workshops usually require 3 students per Class/Workshop to move forward. CAC reserves the right to cancel, combine, or reschedule any Class or Workshop. Instructors may alter the Class or Workshop schedule during a session to accommodate holidays; they will discuss any changes with each class.

REGISTRATION & POLICIES

Please read all registration, refund, & withdrawal policies BEFORE you register. To ensure enrollment, please register as soon as possible as class space is limited. Once a Class/Workshop’s capacity is reached, no students will be added.

PAYMENT
• All Class & Workshop tuitions must be paid in full upon registration.
• Class & Workshop tuitions will NOT be pro-rated under any circumstance (late enrollment included).

REFUNDS
If you wish to withdraw from a Class or Workshop:
• Full refunds are available with written notice 14 days before the start of class or workshop.

• Notifications MUST be given in writing. Verbal notification or failure to attend class(es) or workshop(s) will NOT be regarded as an office notice of withdrawal. Please email requests to info@creativeartscenter.org.

• Membership and Lab fees are non-refundable.

CANCELLATIONS, ABSENCES, & RESCHEDULING
• If CAC must cancel a Class or Workshop in its entirety OR amend an entire Class or Workshop’s scheduled date/time/location, you are eligible for a full refund of tuition and fees.

• CAC does NOT provide make-up class meetings to students for illness, unexpected travel, or reasons outside the responsibility of the Creative Arts Center or its Teaching Artists.

• If a class meeting is canceled by your Teaching Artist or a class meeting falls during a holiday, your Teaching Artist will discuss make-up meeting opportunities so that every student can attend.

GIFT CERTIFICATES* & CREDIT
• Gift Certificates may be used at any time, at your discretion and their use is the responsibility of the Gift Certificate holder. Once funds are converted to a CAC Gift Certificate, they cannot be refunded to a personal card.  Gift Certificates hold no cash value.

• CAC does NOT hold funds or “credit” under any circumstances. CAC does NOT store payment information.

MEMBERSHIPS
• Membership Discounts not applied to initial purchase through CAC’s website may be refunded ONLY if a student contacts CAC Office within the same business day of purchase or the following day if the purchase occurs during closed hours.

• Membership Discounts are NOT retroactive or refundable.

• CAC Members are responsible for the renewal of lapsed Memberships.

• Please see our Membership Page for full details and further explanation of Membership policies.

AGE
• CAC allows for students ages of 18 - 120 years of age. 15 - 17 year-olds can be accepted with parental permissions in writing. Any student under the age of 15 years will NOT be allowed under ANY circumstance.

PHOTO RELEASE
• The CAC may use photographs taken from Classes or Workshops with/without a student(s)’ name for lawful purposes. Examples of use: publicity, illustration, advertising, web content, etc. 

IN-KIND DONATIONS
• The CAC Office MUST approve all in-kind donations as space is limited. Please email info@creativeartscenter.org with images & a list of items for approval.

***CAC IS AN EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION: THE USE OF CAC STUDIOS, EQUIPMENT, & MATERIALS FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION WORK IS NOT ALLOWED. CAC DOES NOT PROVIDE PRODUCTION, TOOLS, OR STUDIO SPACE TO ANY PERSONS NOT CURRENTLY ENROLLED OR PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF THOSE ASSIGNED IN A CLASS/WORKSHOP. ***

***CAC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ENROLLMENT OR DISMISS ANY STUDENT FOR BEHAVIOR THAT IS DISRUPTIVE, UNACCEPTABLE TO THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, OR IN OPPOSITION TO CAC’S I.D.E.A. STATEMENT.***

INCLEMENT WEATHER

In case of inclement weather, CAC closes when DISD closes in most cases. We also report such information to local TV stations. For classes held outdoors – welding and stone carving – we usually reschedule classes if the temperature is below 40 degrees. You will be notified by your instructor or staff if your class must be rescheduled.

IDEA Statement
INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & ACCESS STATEMENT

Art is for everyone...and so are we.

Art is a uniquely human experience; a universal language that empowers people. Art gives voice to individuals and groups, it expresses hopes and fears, and continues to be one of the most powerful tools of expression for humankind. Whether it is social movements, environmental awareness, political commentary, collective world-views, intimate personal experiences or the significance of a single moment - art has made communication without limits possible.

Dallas is one of the most racially diverse cities in our country, making its challenges worthy of special attention and deliberate action. We at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas are committed to forwarding accessibility, diversity and inclusion in every area of our organization, including recruitment of staff, board, students and volunteers. We also pledge to ensure that the communities we serve thorough our outreach programming are enthusiastically accessible, diverse and inclusive.

We welcome you to join us in actively working to build the Creative Arts Center of Dallas (CAC) as an open artistic environment for people of all races and ethnicities, socio-economic classes, ages, genders and gender expressions, sexual orientations, ability statuses, nationalities, and all other areas of identity. The CAC firmly believes that art is for all.

There are no available positions at this time.