ARTREACH is a Key Component of Valley Art Center’s Mission

Connecting the community to visual arts

Valley Art Center’s mission is to engage the Chagrin Valley in meaningful visual art experiences through education, exhibitions, events and partnerships. “Partnerships” points to a rapidly growing area of VAC’s activity through “ARTREACH.”

Students from Chagrin Falls Schools manufactured artisan hand soaps to raise funds for a new art school opening in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas. Kate Oulton teaches special needs summer art classes in collaboration with Chagrin Schools at VAC, offering an intimate opportunity to build skills in artistic ability and social interaction.
Working with Lowe’s Greenhouses, the first Early Bird Art and Craft Show was launched in a lush greenhouse drawing hundreds of visitors and solid sales. Lowe’s generously contributed a portion of those sales to VAC.
The “Common Threads Sale” was a collaborative event with Art of Cloth, a local fashion business. Sales of unique handcrafted fashion raised awareness of ties between community art education and creative enterprise, reaching the company’s regional customer base, the local public, and the VAC community. A percentage of the sales were donated to VAC.
The Village Martini and Wine Bar in Chagrin Falls exhibits art by VAC members. This allows both parties to increase connections to the community, providing an artistic environment for patrons of the establishment.
David Shankland teaches sculpture to youth at Chagrin Falls Park Community Center which serves minority families in the low to moderate income range. Students can access VAC’s resources in after school and summer programs, developing creativity and confidence.
VAC’s Senior to Senior Art Program matches master senior artists with residents in senior living communities, engaging individuals in a variety of visual art experiences, making a vital connection between creativity and aging in a healthy and meaningful way.
VAC is just one of 6 arts non-profits in Chagrin Falls, collaborating on projects like Art by the Falls, The Chagrin Arts Music Crawl, and the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, to name a few.