What we do.
Art Classes
At The Arts Center we are huge fans of inspiring creativity. One way we hope to inspire your creative side is by hiring regional artists to teach classes in a wide variety of artistic disciplines. We have recently offered classes for teens and adults in ceramics, stained glass, acrylic & watercolor painting, wood carving, photography, print making, fused glass, crochet, cake decorating and more! We also offer creative experiences for children like family pottery, Arts After School, 2nd Saturday, and summer camps. Click the link below to find out what classes are currently being offered.
The Arts Center also coordinates specialized and private classes for community organizations, businesses, home-school groups, and more. If you are interested in creating a customized artistic experience for your group please, contact us, for further details.
Community Theatre
The 2nd ACT, our community theater troupe, invites you to come out and play. The 2nd ACT welcomes one and all to participate in Jamestown’s only community theater group. Whether you enjoy the spotlight or prefer the shadows back stage, there is place for all who would like to participate. Each production needs actors, stage hands, set builders, ushers, servers, production crew, props and costuming. Trust us! There is a place for you in the 2nd ACT! Contact the Director, Lori Dorr, with your interest.
Exhibits
There is a new fine art exhibit at The Arts Center every 4 – 6 weeks. The exhibitions range from addressing serious, thought-provoking themes to playful, light-hearted subjects. Installations run the spectrum of single artist exhibitions and theme exhibits to group shows featuring all mediums. Artists of all skill levels have the opportunity to exhibit their work in our Annual Show, which is one of the region’s longest running Annual Shows and occurs each fall. Artists are encouraged to contact our Education and Exhibitions Director, Anna Jacobson, if interested in exhibiting. For the collector our exhibits offer a variety of excellent original artworks for purchase.
Art For Life
The Arts Center has many programs that are highly visible like Artist Residencies and Children’s Classes that are often featured in the local news. But there is much important work that occurs behind the scenes.
One such program is Art for Life, a grant-funded activity which pairs an arts center with a local elder care facility to provide intensive art and artist interaction with the care facility’s residents and their families. The North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) drew on the work of Dr. William Thomas who developed the Eden Alternative, a therapeutic tool providing daily spontaneity and opportunities for growth to help alleviate loneliness, boredom, and helplessness. NDCA studied the research results and the human interaction associated with them. The results confirmed that residents who experienced periodic arts activities were happier and the Art for Life Program was born.
Ongoing grants from the NDCA and the National Endowment for the Arts have allowed the Art for Life program to grow from 3 sites (Jamestown, Langdon and Pekin) to 14 elder care facilities in 11 communities across North Dakota. During the past ten years, The Arts Center has provided countless art programs to our partner’s residents. There is great variety in the program offerings–Bluegrass, Irish and Native American flute music; Ice Fishing Decoys, Weaving, Mural Painting, and Ceramic Vase Making; Yoga, Kuchen Making, Sing-A-Longs, Storytelling and Poetry Readings. Among the most successful events are those that pair residents and local school children for inter-generational experiences.
Artist in Residence
Our Artist in Residence program has had a long standing impact in Jamestown. Since 1982 The Arts Center has been hiring professional artists from all across the continent to come live, work, teach and share their talents with the Jamestown community. Artist residency activities have included music, drama, creative writing, dance, traditional arts, visual arts, story telling, fiber arts, and the ever popular annual live theater experience. Each residency is unique and varies in duration and focus. Artists wishing to explore this unique opportunity should contact our Executive Director, Mindi Schmitz, to begin the process.
The Arts Park
A Creative Approach to Downtown Development
In 2005 a fire consumed the building that once stood across the street from The Arts Center leaving behind a large burned out hole in the middle of downtown. The Arts Center envisioned transforming this dilapidated space downtown into a beautiful community green space and arts park. That vision has finally been realized thanks to so many volunteers, grants, donations and community supporters.
We IMAGINED a community gathering space, a living gallery, a place of culture and beauty… here in the heart of downtown Jamestown. We continue to envision The Arts Park as an inspirational, destination venue animated by amenities and artworks created by local, regional and national artists. It is a platform for ongoing, regular programming including performances, music, movies, traveling exhibitions, educational programs and a community gathering spot.
The development of this space was planned in three phases. Phase one began the summer of 2015. New sidewalks went in, underground work was completed, a permanent sculpture was installed, and artists were selected to mosaic the benches. Check out our blog for periodic updates on the Arts Park continued development or swing by and check it out first hand… as of 2019 the Hansen Arts Park is absolutely a sight to see and a destination worth a visit.
This project was made possible in part by grants from ArtsMidwest, the Bush Foundation and ArtPlace America as well as local business, city and individual donations.
