Our Origins
In 1979, a few community members sat in “the room where it all started.” It was a living room. There were probably snacks. And they talked about how the arts could bring “an exciting new face of life” for Athens. As they tried to look into the future, they couldn’t possibly know that one day, there would be an arts center in Athens. Maybe a few had that vision. Would any of them have dreamed of six theatre productions a year? Could any of them imagine the impact on an entire generation of artists, performers, and supporters? Kids who grew up with the arts as a given because this group didn’t just sit and dream up these wonderful ideas; they made them happen. And they started with a charter and a name: Athens Area Council for the Arts (AACA).
AACA didn’t start with classrooms and costume closets. Well, not exactly. Tennessee Wesleyan College kindly carved out a closet-sized office space. But as phone calls and letters led to events and exhibits, AACA quickly outgrew the tiny space, and moved to an office in the historic Robert E. Lee Hotel in Downtown Athens. From there we developed a strong arts in education program, children’s programming, the long-running “Arts in the Park,” and continued to present performing arts series in local school auditoriums.
By the end of the millennium, AACA needed more space—a place to host classes, performances, and exhibits, as well as a growing office staff. In 2005, The Arts Center opened its doors to the community and quickly became an arts and cultural hub and AACA became the premiere performing arts presenting organization of our region.
A $1.6 million expansion between 2019 and 2024 nearly doubled The Arts Center's square footage and provided additional space and possibilities for our intrepid AACA.
Athens Area Council for the Arts
Our community arts space was originally the home of Harrod’s Thrift Market and Bakery for over 50 years. AACA purchased and renovated the space in 2004 and expanded the facility in 2023.
You can find it just down depot hill at 320 North White Street in Athens, Tennessee. It sits two blocks from the historic downtown square in the Athens Main Street District.
The Sue E. Trotter Black Box Theater
The largest and most versatile space in The Arts Center is our 200 seat black box theater. We were proud to dedicate this space to the memory of the arts council's cofounder and first executive director, Sue E. Trotter, following a generous $50,000 donation by the Trotter Family in recognition of Sue's drive and dedication to AACA. This state of the art theater space has black floor, walls, and ceiling, making it ready to transition from a performance space for touring artists to community theatre productions, as well as wedding receptions, parties, dances, fashion shows, fundraisers, theater classes, and more.
Willson Exhibit Room and Exhibition Spaces
The Arts Center features four galleries that host rotating exhibits from local student art to traveling exhibitions curated by professionals in their field. Exhibition art is often offered for sale. Found in The Arts Center's main building, The Willson Exhibit Room’s art covered walls can make a lovely backdrop for smaller events such as receptions, showers, business meetings, and classes.
The Gallery Wall in The Peggy Dow Center is The Arts Center's newest gallery space, which is a contemporary room with tall ceilings, well-suited to showcase large-scale work.
Brenda & Foy Mitchell Creative Arts Wing
The Arts Center is thrilled to boast a building dedicated to arts instruction after more than four decades of making any space work as a classroom. On any given day, you can find people throwing clay in our dedicated Ceramics Studio,
The Alma Bolton Mayfield Visual Arts Studio is where students and artists can be found working on upcoming programming projects or taking classes in watercolor, drawing, scrapbooking, jewelry making, theatre, and more—for all ages.
The Artisan Corner
This corner of our lobby features a curated sampling of handmade items and fine art by regional artists. Our handpicked artisans rotate throughout the year, so you are introduced to a new vendor each month. A variety of media is available including jewelry, pottery, textiles, and more.
Linda B. McGill Music Building
The Linda B. McGill Music Building at The Arts Center is a place where students of all ages discover and develop a passion for music through group classes, arts camps, private instruction, field trips, and a variety of workshops.
Lead gifts by Clarice & J. Dean Baggett, Elaine & John Cathcart, and Lisa & Scottie Mayfield were matched by friends to name this building in memory of an early AACA founder, educator, church musician, and champion of arts education.
The Hands On Learning Lobby allows children of all ages to explore instruments and a rotating selection of free arts activities.
