ABOUT ARTSPACE

HISTORY
Artspace inspires individual creativity by engaging the community in the process of the visual arts. Artspace is a non-profit visual art center dedicated to providing inspiring and engaging arts education and community outreach programs, creating a dynamic environment of over 100 professional artists, and presenting nationally acclaimed exhibitions. Since 1986, Artspace has been Raleigh’s visual art center providing the community with the opportunity to interact with working artists and to participate in hands-on arts education. Artspace is a thriving visual art organization with a uniqueness that lies in its emphasis on the art of creation.

Located in downtown Raleigh in the historic Sanders Ford building, the Artspace facility was once the city’s livery and later Sanders Ford Car Dealership. Today this 30,000 square foot facility is home to 35 artists working in a variety of media, along with three exhibition spaces, education space, a gift shop, and administrative offices. Artspace is one of the largest open studio environments in the country and the premier organization of its kind in North Carolina.

Since its inception, Artspace has inspired more than 2 million visitors and served as the heart of Raleigh’s visual art community. Artspace offers more than 100,000 visitors annually over 30 challenging and award-winning exhibitions, interactive workshops to over 2,000 school-aged children each year, art programming for at-risk youth, classes and workshops to over 3,000 youth and adults annually, and over 200 public events open to all in the community free of charge.
Whatever boundaries one may face to experiencing the creative process (the stigma of elitism, expensive classes, physical disabilities, etc); Artspace breaks down those barriers by being accessible and real. We believe that nourishing the soul is vitally important to our community’s well-being. We would be remiss if we did not reach out to everyone in the community as we seek to improve the community as a whole. By bringing free art programming to children and adults where they live and play, we are breaking down the barriers of cost and transportation that may hinder many economically-disadvantaged families from participating in arts education.
Artspace challenges members of our community to appreciate and learn from art, to express themselves, and to positively engage in and influence their surroundings. By doing so, we hope to create leaders of tomorrow that will follow their intuition and inspire others to think creatively to address community issues.

Artspace aims to inspire creative energy by engaging the public in the process of creating art. Whether looking to create, witness, or purchase a work of art, Artspace can meet the need.
As Artspace embarks on its third decade of existence, the artists, staff and volunteer leaders are focused on the continued inspiration of creative energy. Artspace will continue to strive for excellence in studio artists, educational programs, community outreach and visual art exhibitions. Artspace will continue to grow from a local leader in the arts to a nationally-known organization that serves as an example of the positive impact visual art can have on a community.