Mission Statement
The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts is a multi-disciplinary arts center, serving more than 2,000 square miles of the Adirondack Park. The Arts Center’s mission as a presenter, producer and educator in the artistic disciplines is to promote, develop, cultivate, and foster quality programs in the arts, sciences, and humanities, which inspire, enrich, educate and entertain people of all ages throughout the Adirondacks, as well as providing technical assistance to non-profits, local government, and area businesses.
About Us
The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts produces professional theatre, concerts as part of our Weekend Series, artist exhibits in three galleries, youth and adult arts-education workshops, and grant opportunities for art and cultural organizations and teaching artists. The Arts Center is coordinator for the Statewide Community Regrants (SCR) program (formerly DEC program) of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) for the four-county region of Hamilton, Franklin, Clinton, and Essex counties.
The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts was established in 1967 as a multidisciplinary arts organization to serve as producer, presenter, and educator of artistic disciplines in visual arts, theatre, music, and dance. The building and the property were gifted to us by Harold K. Hochschild, the founder of the Adirondack Experience (previously the Adirondack Museum), which also is in Blue Mountain Lake. The first directors of the Arts Center were a husband and wife team, Jim and Sheila Hutt, who are still involved with the Arts Center today. Many patrons have generational ties to the Arts Center, having come to performances or workshops as children. Now they bring their children and grandchildren!
The Arts Center is a cornerstone of the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake, but it also "spills out" into its neighboring communities, sharing its artistic programs and productions in other towns and hamlets throughout the central Adirondacks region. The Arts Center is generously supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, its business and individual sponsors, and its members.
The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
Our Community
The Arts Center operates within the six-million acre Adirondack Park, a “Forever Wild” region. Although the park’s wilderness setting is breathtaking, residents face geographic isolation and economic challenges. By taking art “out of the building,” the Arts Center enhances the quality of life in the communities we serve, including Indian Lake, Long Lake, Newcomb, Inlet, Old Forge, North Creek, Tupper Lake, and beyond. Arts Center programs serve all ages and abilities and provide the kind of shared experiences that build strong communities.
