Welcome to the Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center! Part of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, we offer art classes, workshops, exhibitions, gifts and a variety of event and meeting spaces available for rentals. Come visit us and see what we can do for your artistic interests!
Classes and Workshops
Arts education is a major part of our mission at the Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center. We bring in an impressive group of local artists to teach seven- or eight-week class sessions, which include ceramic, enameling, painting classes and much more. During the summer, we also offer intensive week-long workshops, taught by artists from all across the country. Our extensive educational offerings are made possible by our fantastic studio spaces, featuring a large assortment of resources for the creation of different artistic media.
Gallery Exhibitions
The center is home to two galleries showing some of the most impressive work Ohio artists have to offer. The Main Gallery, with exhibitions typically running about a month and a half, features collections of work following specific themes or in specific artistic media, usually by a variety of artists from across the state.
Artist Talks and Tours
You’re invited to learn more about our exhibitions, and about a wealth of other topics in the art world, through our programming. Conversations & Coffee art talks, the city’s longest-running art talk series, has been in operation for more than 35 years. We always make it easy to arrange tours of our galleries, art studios and historic building.
Created: The Art Shop at CAC
We invite visitors to check out Created, the Art Shop at CAC, featuring the work of our art students and faculty. The shop is a great place to find great works of art by established and up-and-coming artists, and presents a great opportunity to support local artists in our community.
About Us
The staff at the center has worked hard to cultivate an incredible group of instructional faculty, offer a diverse set of classes and impress visitors with some of the most exciting and unique art exhibitions in the state. Read about the people who make it all possible, as well as our mission to develop and celebrate artists in Ohio and beyond.
Classes
From ceramics and sculpture to metalsmithing and painting, you will always find the offering you are looking for at the highest quality. Studio classes are offered in seven- to eight-week sessions with classes that meet once weekly for three hours.
Workshops
For individuals who want to learn more about art and culture but cannot commit to a seven- or eight-week course, the center offers a series of summer workshops, most of which consist of a week of full-day instruction and participation.
The Friends of the CAC
For more than 30 years, the Friends of the Cultural Arts Center, a nonprofit volunteer organization, has supported the center by acting as a fiscal agent, organizing fundraisers, sponsoring programs and exhibits, providing professional development grants and more. Read more about the leadership and activities of the FCAC!
Learn More
Collaborative Art Impact Initiative
The Mission of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department is to “connect our community to nature, wellness and creativity”. In uncertain times, the pairing of wellness and creativity is increasingly important to help one cope with daily stresses.
The Priscilla R Tyson Cultural Arts Center and 19 other arts organizations across Ohio, the US & Canada were chosen to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Collaborative Art Impact Initiative. This year-long project surveys participants in arts programs to understand the social/emotional affects and benefits of engaging. The ground breaking initiative seeks to collect data to be used in advocating for future arts funding in a method different from just counting participants in a class or visitors walking through the door.
Your participation in these surveys is important as the more responses we get, the better the story we can tell.
Take the Survey