Springfield Township’s arts center is back and stronger than ever
On Christmas Day, 2022, an alarm went off in the Springfield Township Senior & Community Arts Center. The sprinkler system at the center—home to Springfield’s arts and enrichment council, ArtsConnect—had burst due to sub-freezing temperatures.
By the time ArtsConnect leadership arrived, water had flooded every room in the building.
“It was unbelievable,” says Kimberlee Flamm, ArtsConnect’s executive director. The arts center had hosted dozens of ArtsConnect events throughout the year, from pottery classes to family dances, but the flood damage rendered it totally unusable.
In the year since the flood, ArtsConnect has proved its resilience. With the help of the community, the organization was able to run some of its regular programming at off-site locations, including local schools, churches and civic centers.
There was an “outpour of support” from Springfield Township, Flamm says. “Our community was just so wonderful, saying, ‘How can we help?’”
Now, ArtsConnect is back home. Over the past year, the arts center has been repaired and renovated, and its grand reopening in early January will kick off a strong year of programming—including the return of community favorite events and some all-new classes, like aerial yoga.
The arts center will also get a chance to bring back some of the programming it had planned for 2023. Before the flood, ArtsConnect’s gallery space had planned to display the art of local artist Cedric Michael Cox. Now, the exhibition will finally happen and Cox’s art will be on display in the gallery from January until March.
The renovated ArtsConnect campus features an additional piece by Cox. In the summer of 2023, Cox transformed the chain link fence outside the building into a mural—filling it with color with the help of local children.
ArtsConnect commissioned another local artist, Jessica Wolf, to create an art installation for the art center’s stairwell. Anyone who donates to ArtsConnect’s recovery campaign will be honored on a plaque next to the installation.
ArtsConnect has facilitated arts programming in Springfield Township since 2012. As local leadership worked to plan events for the community, Flamm says, they noticed an outsized turnout at arts-related programming.
“Any time that we ran something around the arts, that’s what the attendance came about,” Flamm says. “When we had a dance, it would sell out. When we had a concert, it would be packed. Our community really responded to the arts.”
Thus, ArtsConnect was born. Over the next decade, the nonprofit grew into an integral part of the community, thanks in part to support and guidance from the ArtsWave arts fund. ArtsConnect hosted its programming at a former senior center, which was renovated in 2020 to become Springfield Township’s dedicated arts center.
“Our community picked the arts,” Flamm says. “We didn’t pick the arts for the community.”
ArtsConnect Dates to Know,
Through June 2024
Saturday, Feb. 17: Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance. Dads and daughters can dance the night away at the Grove Event Center, directly behind the Arts Center. This year’s theme: “A Night in the Amazon.”
Saturday, March 16: Mom Prom. Mothers and sons get their turn in rainforest paradise at Mom Prom, also located at the Grove Event Center.
Saturday, May 18: Artisan Fair. Vendors of all kinds will be parked on the Arts Center front lawn for a craft fair and market.
Wednesday, May 29: Senior Picnic. Join other adults over 55 for a “Senior Olympics”-themed picnic and play games alongside a delicious lunch.
Friday, June 7: Puppets for Lunch. Bring a picnic lunch to the Arts Center and enjoy a Wizard of Oz puppet show on the lawn, followed by a craft.
Friday, June 14: Touch A Truck. It’s truck heaven for kids—more than 50 service, construction and luxury vehicles to touch, admire and climb on board.
Visit theartsconnect.us for an up-to-date event calendar, including dozens of weekly crafting classes for children and adults.
