COLUMBUS, OH -- If your New Year's resolution includes trying something out of your normal routine or maybe there's a hobby you've been wanting to fine tune, the Columbus Cultural Arts Center could be the perfect place to start. Offering over 60 different art based classes, this hidden gem is more than meets the eye. 

  • Nine different studios
  • Sixty different classes
  • Part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department

The building itself is rich with history, formerly the Ohio Armory and dating back to the Civil War era. The National Guard occupied the building for about 100 years and stored their ammunition there, and for the last 40 years it's been filled with paint brushes, serving as an outlet for artists in central Ohio to cultivate their creativity.

The center is located in downtown Columbus and offers classes to adults of all ages with a wide variety of activities to choose from. 

 

 

“We have nine different studios here and we have about 60 different classes. Everything that you can imagine in the fine arts—like ceramics, painting and drawing, sculpture….but then we have things you might not think of like we do screen printing and book arts. There’s a lot of people who are working with paper right now so that’s a really fun class, we have a really wonderful weaving studio, we have jewelry and metals classes, we have enameling classes…so it really runs the gambit.” director Geoffrey Martin tells us. 

The center is also part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department​ and offers six different eight week long sessions over the course of the year, any level of expertise is welcome and they also provide special pricing to residents in the area. 

“For most of the classes it costs about $60, if you live in Columbus, to take class and what that equals is 8 weeks of classes. So you come once a week for 3 hours in the studio for 8 weeks, so when you break that down, $60 is not a huge cost, and that’s important to us being a part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department…we really work had to make these accessible to hopefully everyone in the community.” says Martin. 

A community that has become known for its acceptance of all cultures and backgrounds, something Martin says can also be said for the city's love of art. 

 

 

"We have people here at the Cultural Arts Center taking classes from all over the community and they all come together in this sort of cultural hub. So, yeah I think the arts are an important part of what makes this such a special city.”

And many people who have taken classes at the center have created more than art...

"I think people like to come here because of the space and then they stay because of the teachers they meet and the friends they make in the classes. I think people end up creating a little community in their art classes and that becomes a very important part of their weekly routine.”​

A routine Martin and central Ohio artists alike hope will continue for another 40 years and beyond.