circa 1850
Between Friends Art Center is a lot more than what meets the eye. At first glance one may think it is just a gift and antique shop, but do not be deceived! At Between Friends Art Center our mission is to provide a place for the community to create and enjoy art, music, dance and theatre.
In the gift shop you will find items that are antique or vintage, as well as collectibles, primitives, folk art, and fine art created by local artists. We are always on the search for unique items that are affordably priced so that everyone can shop and find a treasure. Many of the items for sale are one of a kind, and some items are examples of projects that are taught in our evening adult art and craft classes. The sales from the gift shop help to provide the programs we offer. Every item purchased from our gift shop helps us to keep our tuition and class fees low for the students in our youth programs.
The Between Friends Art Center children’s programs began the summer of 2007, with the key idea that “Great oaks from little acorns grow.” Owner Tracey Marceron founded the program with the help of her daughter, Lexi Marceron, and her friend James Bartol. While they were still in high school, the two visualized what it could be, and started building little by little. The first classes were taught in June of that year with only 6 kids. Since then, our programs have grown to include three art classes, 27 dance classes, three theatre sessions per season, as well as a youth chorus. These programs involve a combined number of nearly 500 children giving them a love of the arts as well as skills such as leadership, dedication, teamwork, and mentoring. The skills both Lexi and James gained by having such an integral part of the vision and execution of this program is what inspires us to have young, aspiring directors take on leadership roles with our theatre program.
At Between Friends Art Center, our goal is to make theatre, dance, music and art accessible to as many young people as possible. We strongly believe that involvement in the arts at an early age is very beneficial. We want our students to leave our theatre program with higher confidence and new skills. Above all, we want to encourage all of the kids who walk through our doors to: “Dream big”! Our family is always growing and we welcome new students and their families to join any of our classes!