The Coleman Center for the Arts

About Us

Mission and History

The Coleman Center for the Arts (CCA) is a contemporary arts organization that uses art to foster positive social change, answer civic needs, build local pride, and use creativity for community problem solving. By nurturing and facilitating partnerships between artists and community we strive to create the vision and the means for a creative and sustainable society. Our mission is to integrate contemporary art into education, civic life, and community development throughout our region.

The CCA was founded in 1985 through the grass roots efforts of local citizens, and programs have evolved to answer the needs of the community. These programs include a community based artist-in-residence program that produces socially engaged public art projects; an exhibition program that features the work of local artists as well as regional and national artists completing CCA projects; and an education program that offers year round educational opportunities for area youth.

The Coleman Center is supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alabama Power Foundation, the Black Belt Community Foundation, the Buddy Taub Foundation, the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Caring Foundation, the Sumter County Fine Arts Council, the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation, the Support the Arts License Tag Committee, the Japan Foundation, New York, the Puffin Foundation, York Drug, Inc., Prystup Packaging Products, the Drummond Company Inc., the Chatanooga Bakery Inc., and the generous contributions of individual supporters.