VISUAL ARTS
exhibitions
for artists
programs
online gallery

PERFORMING ARTS
chamber music
jazz
singers & songwriters
gallery sessions

EDUCATION
youth
adults
families
teachers & schools

The Westport Arts Center is a highly regarded visual and performing arts organization that presents over 60 distinctive, intimate and thought-provoking visual and performing arts programs all year long.

We are located alongside the beautiful Saugatuck River in downtown Westport at 51 Riverside Avenue.  The gallery is open to the public during exhibitions from Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm; Saturday & Sunday 12N-4pm.  Our offices are open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm.  We are closed for national holidays.

Yes, there is a small parking lot with handicap parking and a wheelchair ramp at the right side of the building as you face it from the street.  That door is usually locked, but just ring the bell and a staff member will come back to let you in.

            Membership benefits at all levels include:

• 10% discount on tickets to most WAC events
• Free admission to exhibition openings
• Advance email notice of added or special programs (and you’ll be helping us to save on printing and postage!)
• Opportunity to purchase tickets in advance of the general public for limited events
• Artists Members are allowed to have up to 12 images on our Online Gallery

The WAC is a 501 (c ) (3) not-for-profit corporation.  Your donation is tax deductible as provided by law.

Yes.  We have KinderCreate - a series of workshops that offer hands-on and educational arts experiences designed for children ages 5-10. 

Summer Camps and Vacation Workshops - offers week-long, or day-long programs for ages 5-10. Call 203-222-7070 to register for any of the Westport Arts Center family programs.  We also conduct school group visits to the Gallery, and lead a program called Connections Outreach that partners art-based projects with charter schools in Norwalk and Bridgeport. 

We also run the Westport Youth Film Festival for teenagers who are interested in making, producing and supporting films with year-round programming including round-table discussions, concerts, film screenings and the all-day festival in May.  Films made by kids are submitted from all over the world. 

The mission of the Westport Youth Film Festival (WYFF) is to serve as an outlet for young filmmakers to share their work in a professional environment.  The festival provides an opportunity for students to receive constructive criticism from peers and professionals to help them to improve their skills in a valuable real life situation.  It is hoped that this will spark an interest in youth produced film as well as to increase the youth film audience.

Absolutely!  Contact our Office Manager to receive our facilities list, availability and pricing.  The Gallery Space is approximately 2,000 sq.ft., with a small kitchen facility and a studio room for staging.  We offer handicap access and bathrooms.  In warmer months we can provide a tent for the outside deck that overlooks the Saugatuck River, providing additional staging and ambiance.  There is ample parking in the evenings behind the building.

Some programs are presented in our Gallery space at 51 Riverside Avenue in Westport.  We also partner with many organizations in town and book performances into venues that fit the performer.  We like to say that “we’re all over town!”  You can find WAC programs at the funky and charming Seabury Center, the state-of-the-art Westport Country Playhouse, the Pequot Library in Southport, or the Lecture Room at the Westport Public Library, or right downtown at the Town Hall, and once in a while we’ll bring a show into the Saugatuck Elementary School.  We believe in providing arts experiences in intimate spaces to enhance the exchange between audience and artist.

The Westport Arts Center is dedicated to creating arts experiences that contribute to individual growth and enrich the community. We believe that encouraging the arts is essential to the renewal and the well-being of society. Accordingly, the Westport Arts Center believes it must:

• Present the highest quality performances, exhibitions and programs.
• Enhance the understanding of the arts through lectures, demonstrations and classes that contribute to cultural awareness.
• Advocate for arts education to maintain a vital cultural life.
• Help sustain local artists through exhibition opportunities, events and our website registry.
• Develop knowledgeable and supportive audiences so that artists in all disciplines will be inspired to create at their highest level.

One way to share your work is to become a member.  Anyone can become a member, with membership dues starting at $45/individual per year.  Visual artists can participate in juried and group exhibitions, and the annual non-juried Members Group Show.  Members also have an opportunity to create an online gallery to show their work, which comes free if charge with membership.

Artists & art appreciators gather here at the gallery or at an offsite locale to network and share their concepts with other individuals.  There is no fee to attend, but we recommend becoming a member of the Arts Center.  Please visit our website for detailed information – “For Artists” under Visual Arts.

Members can submit up to 12 images of their work and a bio or artist statement about themselves to the WAC Online Artist Registry (aka “Online Gallery”).  Registry forms can be found on our website (or contact our office).  Images should be submitted as digital images (jpegs) on a disc.  It usually takes 2-3 weeks to post the work from receipt of the images.  We allow changes one time per year.

The summer is devoted to the annual Member Artists Shows which are coordinated by volunteer artist members, and has both juried and non-juried components.  For the balance of the year, four curated shows are presented in the main gallery for between 6 and 8 weeks each.  These shows are planned internally and led by the Director of Visual Arts and a Visual Arts Committee, at least a year in advance.  Our Studio Gallery space represents another juried opportunity for WAC artist members to have a thematic solo exhibition.  Artist Members can submit work or submit a proposal to create a site specific show in this space for approximately 4 weeks.

Yes.  Anyone may propose a curated exhibition for the gallery.  They should contact the Director of Visual Arts if they are interested in proposing an exhibition.

No.  We also do not accept donations of artwork, as we have no place to store or display donated artwork.