About Us
Mission
The Creative Arts Center of Dallas nurtures a community where citizen artists discover, develop and express their artistic vision.
Vision
To be a core asset to the community through access to authentic arts experiences delivered by engaged teachers providing lifelong learning opportunities for artists to gather and create.
Values
CREATIVITY exists within all of us. Creating art can build COMMUNITY for all of us. COLLABORATION expands creative opportunities.
Our History
CAC was founded in 1966 by Octavio Medellín — a Mexican-American sculptor whose work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the 1939 World's Fair — on a simple conviction: that serious art education should be available to anyone who wants it, not just those who can afford an elite institution.
The organization opened as the Octavio Medellín School of Sculpture in El Sibil, the former studio of Southwest painter Frank Reaugh in Oak Cliff. Reaugh's student Estha Josey had purchased the studio specifically to establish a public art center under Medellín's leadership. After Medellín's retirement, CAC moved to Kramer Elementary, sharing space with the Craft Guild of Dallas until 1989. In 1990, CAC purchased its current home — the historic Bayles Elementary building in East Dallas, built as a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression.
Sixty years after our founding, Medellín's belief still guides our work.
What We Do
CAC operates a community art campus where the visual arts are practiced, taught, and shared.
Community Workshops. We offer year-round workshops for adults and teens in ceramics, painting, drawing, jewelry and small metals, glass, fiber arts, mosaic, photography, printmaking, woodworking, sculpture, and stone carving. Workshops are open to all skill levels — from first-time learners to working artists — and led by professional teaching artists from the regional creative community. Class fees support both the workshops themselves and the charitable programs described below. Explore our workshops
Camp MetalHead. A summer program in jewelry, welding, and metalwork for teens ages 13–17. Supported in part through the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture's Cultural Organization Program. See available programs
Art as a Second Language. Free, artist-led community art projects offered each spring and fall at Klyde Warren Park.
Equitable Artist Residency (EAR). A residency program centering BIPOC artists, allowing four artists each year to take over our gallery, develop, and exhibit a show of their choosing, and provide education for CAC students. Apply for a residency
Scholarships. Available year-round so that financial need is never a barrier to participation in our workshops. Apply for a scholarship or make a donation to our scholarship program.
Public Exhibitions and Community Events. We present exhibitions of local and regional artists, host community gatherings, and partner with Dallas-area schools and organizations to extend the reach of the arts.
Our Teaching Artists
CAC's instructors are working professional artists from across the North Texas creative community — practicing ceramicists, painters, jewelers, printmakers, sculptors, and more. Many have national exhibition records, MFA training, or decades of studio practice; all of them share a commitment to making serious craft accessible to learners at every level.
Our Board
Jimmy Galbraith
Amanda Rodriguez
Kamal Khan
Steven Gordon
Katherine Wagner
Juli Ramming
Zahnd Schlensker
Adrian Lawrence
Joanna Hampton
Peter Morris
Support Our Work. Keep the arts accessible in Dallas.
Take a class
Class fees support our workshops and fund the charitable programs above — Camp MetalHead, scholarships, EAR, and our community outreach.
Donate
Tax-deductible gifts directly fund our outreach programs, scholarships, and the day-to-day operation of our campus. Both monetary and in-kind donations are welcome.
Volunteer or Partner
Reach out at info@creativeartscenter.org to learn how your organization can collaborate with CAC.
Give the gift of creativity
Introduce someone to CAC and support our mission at the same time — gift certificates can be used toward any class or workshop, and the proceeds help sustain our community programs.
Creative Arts Center of Dallas
Welcome to the Creative Arts Center of Dallas.
Dallas’ home for Community-Based Adult Visual Arts Education.
2360 Laughlin Drive
Dallas, TX 75228
(214) 320–1275
info@creativeartscenter.org
Administration Office Hours
Monday - Friday
10 AM – 5 PM
Building Hours
Open during Classes, Workshops, and Live Model Lab
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization · EIN:75-6046116