Chesapeake Arts Center

CAC Fact Sheet

General Information

History: The Chesapeake Arts Center (CAC) opened in 2001 to serve the greater Brooklyn Park community, including Baltimore City and Northern Anne Arundel County. Located in an economically depressed area, the Brooklyn Park Community Complex is the remarkable result of a $35 million renovation of Brooklyn Park High School. The complex now includes the CAC, a police substation, a county recreation center, a senior center, and Brooklyn Park Middle School, which is one of two Performing & Visual Arts (PVA) magnet middle schools in Anne Arundel County.

Attendance: There are more than 70,000 visits to the CAC annually.

Governance: The CAC is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization and is governed by a volunteer board of directors.

Community Revitalization: The CAC is located in Brooklyn Park, which was recently designated as a sustainable community by the Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development. This program promotes community development, revitalization and sustainability through state-supported financing programs and tax credit incentives. This area is also in the area designated for the Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative (BRNI).

Arts Programs

Outreach: Free and reduced price arts classes are available – including after school - throughout the year to qualifying residents in the underserved areas of Brooklyn Park, Glen Burnie and Severn through generous grants.

Arts Education: Approximately 150 affordable hands-on arts classes (ceramics, dance, music, theater, literature and visual arts) are offered each year. Some 300 students - from toddlers to seniors - participate in classes and workshops at the CAC. Theater performances are attended by more than 7,000 children under the age of eighteen each year.

Performing Arts: The CAC works with various theater companies to present a diverse offering of theatrical arts to the community, as well as all genres of music and dance to appeal to the large demographics of our area.


Visual Arts: The CAC showcases 15-20 artists annually in its newly renovated art gallery. In addition, the CAC presents offsite exhibits throughout the community. The Aloft BWI Hotel has a gallery showing and Meet the Artist reception each month, and CAC’s Maryland, My Maryland exhibit is installed at BWI Marshall Airport in Terminal D until June 2016.

Artists in Residence:
Steven Bradley, Arts Professor, UMBC
Joe Vitek, Master Potter

Community Support

The Chesapeake Arts Center relies on the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations and government agencies as well as revenue generated through rentals, ticket sales and tuition to meet its $700,000 annual budget.

Donors & Grantors: Arundel Federal Savings Bank, Beidle Insurance, Belle Grove LLC, CSX, Gable, McCully-Polyniak Funeral Home, Sandy Spring Bank, Schuh Family Foundation, The Betty Jane & Creston Tate Foundation, Whiting Turner, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Arundel Community Development Services, Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Maryland State Arts Council, St. Christopher’s Church of Linthicum, Ms. Martha Yeager.

Membership: Nearly 500 members of the community support the CAC through annual and lifetime memberships. Benefits include discounts on classes and event tickets, an annual membership appreciation event and a subscription to the CAC mailings.

Facilities

Hammonds Lane Theater: This 752-seat venue is ideal for live theatre, music, dance and other performance events as well as corporate events and graduations. It features a newly installed custom built sound system, upgraded lighting and a stage area with ample dressing room space. It is ADA compliant (on and off stage).

Studio 194: Studio 194 is an ideal location for smaller productions, concerts, meetings and rehearsals. This black box theater features a 120-seat raised-level seating area with removable seating and wheelchair access.

Art Gallery: Renovated in 2015, the CAC showcases the talent of local artists and photographers.






The Chesapeake Arts Center also has two dance studios, six classrooms and a large ceramic & clay studio featuring the largest kiln in Anne Arundel County. All facilities may be rented. Lighting and sound packages are also available.