WE EXIST TO SERVE

We inspire & connect people through the arts

The Elora Centre for the Arts (ECFTA) 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.  The building consists of 10 large, former classrooms that provide over 10,000 square feet of space, now repurposed into gallery space, an artisan shop, a classroom, artist studios and homes to various organizations that support the arts. It is the vision of the ECFTA to provide a facility that enhances cultural life in the region, and is a hub of connection and creativity.

The Elora Centre for the Arts was founded in 2002 and continues to grow to become a vibrant Arts Centre, integral to the health of our community. We provide arts-based community outreach programs, workshops for adults and children, integrated art exhibitions, events and an artisan shop that uplifts local artists.

We are located in the heart of the village, steps from downtown and beside the Grand River and Bissell Park.

Admission to the gallery and artisan shop are free (by donation if you wish). 

OUR OUTDOOR SPACES ARE FOR COMMUNITY

Find yourself at the Centre 

The outdoor space at the Arts Centre is a 2-acre gem in downtown Elora. It includes an outdoor art pathway with art installations, benches, picnic tables, bicycle parking, bike and walking maps, and our new MacDonald Pavilion stage.

The outdoor space is open to the public for everyone to enjoy during all seasons of the year.  Enjoy art installations by local artists or have a picnic lunch on one of our picnic tables and benches.  Park your bike and explore downtown. Pick up a map for several self-guided tours throughout the area. The pavilion in the yard features live music, theatre productions and community BBQ events.

There’s truly something for everyone – we hope you find yourself at the Centre!

To find out more about our outdoor art pathway and pavilion, picnic areas in the yard, please click on the links.

WATCH & Learn MORE ABOUT HOW WE SERVE COMMUNITY

Watch Our Videos – “Feel” our Impact

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

home to OTHER arts-based organizations

Our historic schoolhouse building is home to 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:

Photo credit: Wayne Simpson

This photo was part of an award in 2024 presented by the Elora Centre for the Arts & Riverfest Elora to OMBIIGIZI as the 2024 “Creative Roots Artist of the Year”. Read more about it here.

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.