This place is pretty incredible- right in the center of downtown there is a community arts space that offers affordable classes to Columbus residents- ceramics, enamel work, painting, sculpture, weaving and the like. There is a gallery on the entrance floor and a shop of handmade goods that students made. It’s in the old armory building which is historical and unique. There is free parking and a paid lot,

I love this place so much! It's such a refuge. A place to get away and take your mind off the week and make some art with some fantastic teachers. Plus, the class fees are totally reasonable. I feel so lucky to have found this place.

We rented the Cultural Arts Center for our wedding last weekend (August 2018), and couldn't have made a better selection. What made us first look there was the price: inside and out for an entire day was incomparably affordable relative to other venues we looked at. Additionally, we could choose any licensed caterer to work the day, though they did have a pre-approved list. The venue itself is gorgeous, placed right next to the river, and requires very little decoration. Many of our guests enjoyed looking at the art during the reception; made for a good talking point. The staff is easy to work with, and Jackie (the coordinator) was very helpful. We'd recommend the CAC to anybody looking for an affordable and beautiful venue in Columbus!

Absolutely love this place. Had my wedding here in 2012. It was a May wedding and Geoff was great to work with, as was everyone we worked with from the cultural arts center. We loved the space both outdoors and indoors. Luckily the weather head out and the wedding was outside. I would totally suggest have a wedding here and reception too if gathering is the right size. No more than 100 for wedding and reception up to 175 for just wedding.

I have attended many events, over the years, at the Cultural Arts Center. I had initially known the Cultural Arts Center as the "Columbus Cultural Arts Center" [that I had always abbreviated as "CCAC"]; however, somewhere along the way, the word "Columbus" was removed from their name so I can no longer use the "CCAC" abbreviation. The two most recent events that I had been planning to attend at the Cultural Arts Center had been canceled because of COVID-19 so I had not been there for several years until yesterday. I just happened to be walking past the Cultural Arts Center yesterday [5-2-2022] -- while on my way to a different location -- and while they had been open -- so I stopped by for a brief visit. It might be helpful for people planning to visit the Cultural Arts Center to know that, for four of the six days when they are open, they close at 4:00 p.m. and then re-open at 7:00 p.m. that same day. I had just happened to arrive, yesterday, ten minutes before their 4:00 p.m. closing time. I was therefore able to "rush around" the several galleries and other spaces that are inside of the building for ten minutes or so [before the building had closed] and then spend ten additional minutes outside of the building [taking some photographs for Google Maps] before moving on to my next destination.

Some very nice people here Great equipment good classes very capable instructors has to be one of my favorite learning spots at this time. It continues to be one of the best places to go for art education and exhibits. Still just the best place ever. Great instructors.

I work with adults with developmental disabilities and we went to check out the center. We walked around and went up to the second floor and ran into Marjorie the art teacher. She started showing us around like we had an appointment with her. Then she let each individual try a art technique. My clients were so excited and really enjoyed the experience. Thank you so much for making this a great experience for my clients. They want to come back and have more fun!

The Columbus Cultural Arts Center is an amazing asset to our community. For artists like me, CAC offers a wide variety of classes in various mediums taught by highly skilled and experienced instructors. Even better, the classes are designed to accommodate students who are complete beginners to those with advanced skills. Visitors to the center are greeted by the historic beauty of the building architecture and welcoming atmosphere. The main gallery hosts well curated shows which run monthly throughout the year. A secondary exhibit is often found in the upper level of the building, so be sure to explore upstairs. Additionally, there is a gift shop offering diverse, one of a kind products created by CAC students and instructors. Check it out!

Public and free gallery, affordable community classes in a variety of mediums

Wonderful affordable way to take art classes. So far I’ve enjoyed taking fabric design, ceramics and sewing. I highly recommend!

Place to learn a new craft. Or practice an old one. There’s watercolor life drawing ceramics and jewelry making. And they have small art exhibits also.

Such an incredible place with the most wonderful staff and students. I have taken three terms of jewelry metalsmithing with Colleen and Sharone and have been so thrilled about the skills I've learned and the pieces I've made. Everyone is so friendly and it's such a joy to be there.

Universal: Works from the Private Collections of Barbara R. Nicholson&Bettye J. Still...Excellent exhibition, met many artists and the staff at The Cultural Arts Center was fabulous! A Columbus jewel!

my home studio away from Whispers and Echoes studio. ..the environment is a spiritual oasis in downtown Columbus. Namaste. Imagine and live in peace.

Beautiful old building and it's free. We roamed around the building for a half hour. They have some very interesting art work and classes in session. A worthwhile stop if your in the area.

Instructor does not help students. Is not a friendly environment. If your paying to learn Instuctor shouldn't yell at you.

Amazing. Plan to spend hours of fun here.

Excellent municipal adult arts facility- it's best from student perspective; instructors' value is paid in lip-service & gratitude.

The center is excellent in the fact that staff are friendly and the instructors are amazing. It's a great way to learn, de-stress, and make friends.

Too late

One of the cheapest forms of entertainment in Columbus. As well, a great place to meet friends. It caters to all levels and you will get out of it what you put into it.

The ceramics class was great. The only down side is that you better be prepared to miss work in order to get into a class because of their weird sign up policy. They allows walk ups to start the day of the specific class (a weekday) at 9 am, they do not allow online signup until later that night. At least I think this is how it works, they made it really complicated for a select few donors who do not have internet access. I would not try to go into work late unless you plan on being several hours late. The line waits are at least an hour, in general. It just seems counter intuitive to have a sign up policy like this when the classes are mostly evenings for people who work. It used to open Saturdays online and was first come first serve. I agree that there should be a walk up option, but it should be combined first come first serve. As this was changed without any real feedback from members, I hope that they have a group of people looking at changing this policy.

This is one of Columbus' best kept secrets. Housed in the Old Ohio State Arsenal Building, built in 1861, the Cultural Arts Center is a goldmine of resources for the creatively inclined. Art classes, tours, exhibits, rental space and shopping, there is something for everyone. Conveniently located downtown next to the Scioto Mile. Columbus is very fortunate to have such a beautiful and vibrant arts facility.

If you’re going to sign up for ceramics, take a class that Adena or Eric teaches, not with the Mon/Wed/Thurs evening instructor. They truly love to teach and are so passionate about what they do. Tanya, the Monday evening drawing basics instructor, is AMAZING and so full of love and character. The CAC holds a special place in my heart ❤️❤️

I went to view this space for an event coming up next year. Awesome atmosphere, friendly staff, and very affordable! Beautiful inside and out!

Excellent , reasonable place to learn art.

Haven't gotten a chance to really look inside yet, but I just wanted to say thank you to two of their lovely staff. I unfortunately forgot one of their names, but thank you Bossy for helping me out with directions to where I meant to go. The inside was cool temperature, and smelled very nice.