Our Mission

Our mission is to develop and strengthen an open and accessible non-profit arts and cultural centre that promotes, teaches and nourishes the arts and arts appreciation through exhibitions, programs, and performances.

The Elora Centre for the Arts exists to serve our community.  We are a not-for-profit charity, run by a Board of volunteers from our community and a small, committed staff team.  It is for the love of art and creativity, and the ways we can nurture, heal and support each other through the arts, that we exist.

The Elora Centre for the Arts is located in a restored, three-story limestone schoolhouse in one of Ontario’s most picturesque villages.  We are located in the heart of the village, steps from downtown and across from the Grand River and Bissell Park. The Elora Centre for the Arts features a main gallery space where artist exhibitions are featured ongoing throughout the year.  A second gallery and artisan shop features unique and affordable handmade and artist-designed pieces.  Admission to the gallery and Artisan shop are free (by donation if you wish).  To find out what is showing in our galleries click here.  Throughout the year, live music performances and special events are hosted in the gallery or out in our yard.  To find out more about upcoming events click here.

Classroom space

Our classroom space is utilized for creative workshops for adults and youth.  Find out more about our adult classes or youth workshops

Our new outdoor art garden pathway is open to the public and is always open for you to enjoy.  It is located at the south end of our property, look for the welcome map designed by local artist Julie Denneny as the starting point for the path.  Park your bike and walk to points in town beyond.  Enjoy art installations by local artists or have a picnic lunch.  Grab a map for several self-guided walking tours around town.  The space offers benches and picnic tables for everyone to enjoy.  To find out more about this hidden gem in downtown Elora please click here.

A visit to the Elora Centre for the Arts is a “must do” when you visit Elora!  It is a hidden gem and should be on everyone’s “things to do in Elora” list!

The Elora Centre for the Arts, founded in 2002,  is a charitable organization and unique community resource that fosters creativity, a high level of artistic expression, and the belief that a vibrant arts centre is integral to the health of our community.

Watch & Learn

Watch & Learn More About us, how we serve the community, our impact…and why YOU belong here!

Click on the video links below to view our new videos!

home to several arts-based organizations

The historic schoolhouse building is also home to several arts-based organizations that bring vitality and creative life to our community

Within the building, you will find a number of arts-based organizations that provide programming, events, services and nurture the arts in our community in a variety of ways.  For more information about these organizations, please click on the links below:

Land Acknowledgement

The Elora Centre for the Arts serves within the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Attiwanderon, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Ojibwe Nation and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations.

The Elora Centre for the Arts is adjacent to the Grand River and is located on lands originally granted to the Haudenosaunee people under the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784 and within Treaty 3 lands ceded by the Missisissaugas of the Credit First Nation.

We acknowledge the enduring presence of the Indigenous peoples with whom we share this land today, as well as the rich heritage of other First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across the land.

We offer this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.  We are committed to listening, learning and respecting Indigenous perspectives in the work we do.