Cleburne Friends of the Cultural Arts

Arts complex and museum operations - operates and maintains the jn long Cultural Arts complex, a former elementary school building. the historic 3-story building was constructed in 1915 on 2.04 acres. the 31,000 sq ft complex includes 2 annex buildings with 8 classrooms, a gym for performances and exhibits and an old cafeteria for large group meetings. the abandoned property was acquired in 2015 from the local school district. the main building includes historic mural painted by local renowned artist, classrooms housing 2 art galleries, a permanent art collection, a transportation museum celebrating local historic ties to the santa fe railroad, and the Texas woodcarvers guild museum. Museums and exhibits are open to the community, free of charge. Cfca has over 4,000 visitors annually.

Exhibits - hosts six to seven gallery shows featuring local professional, amateur and student artists in genres including photography, 2-d art, 3-d art and poetry. Exhibits are open to the public for viewing. Many of the exhibits encourage the public to vote for their favorites as a part of the experience. Over 50 artists work on the exhibits during the year. Artwork exhibited includes work of over 120 area school children and 30 senior citizens from assisted living facilities as special exhibits. Traveling exhibits are brought in from organizations such as humanities Texas and paly foundation for members of the community who might not otherwise experience these types of exhibits. Exhibit subjects cover historic and humanitarian issues and offer a window on the world from an artistic perspective.

Membership programs - provides art galleries, classrooms, meeting rooms and stage for member artists and organizations to bring Arts to the community. Member groups host monthly meetings, lectures and classes for the community. Several organizations hold board meetings at cfca facilities. Member artists hold afforable classes for water coloring, dance and crafting, which are promoted by cfca staff. Over 20 member groups and 120 individual artist members use the cfca complex and serve over 900 participants, providing over 12,000 hours of service each year. Cfca receives a small commission from fees collected for classes and lectures to help cover utility costs. Free art classes are provided to special needs children. A broad scope of the community is served by these art teachers and organizations.