Addison Center for the Arts Celebrates their 25th Anniversary!

Addison Center for the Arts Celebrates 25 Years of Fostering the Arts in Addison

 25-year Celebration. The Addison Center for the Arts celebrated its 25th Anniversary September 6, 2019 at 6:30 pm with a benefit banquet at Empress Banquets in Addison. Art enthusiasts along with the Mayor and some Trustees of the Village of Addison enjoyed an open wine and beer bar, dinner, fine art by local artists, silent auction, and music by the Papo Jazz Quartet. 

 25 Years of History. Addison Center for the Arts, a not-for-profit art agency, was founded in 1994 to advance the arts as an integral part of life in Addison and the surrounding communities. The ACA dedicated itself to creating quality art programs in order to provide self-exploration, skill development, and aesthetic awareness. We seek to empower creators, performers and the community as a way to enhance and enrich the world around us.
 
For many years, civic and cultural groups, as well as involved citizens of Addison, had recognized the need for a home for cultural arts in Addison. In 1986, those groups, along with the Addison Cultural Arts Development Commission joined together to fully explore the need and feasibility of building a cultural arts center in Addison.
 
With the support from local and state agencies, like the Village of Addison and the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Commission was able to prepare the first stage of development that would become the Addison Center for the Arts. In September of 1994 the Center was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization to advance the arts as an integral part of life in Addison and the surrounding communities.
 
 “I personally remember back in 1982 bringing the idea for an arts center to the
 Addison Village mayor and trustees. Back then, our community theater and art guild were meeting at various places around town--they needed a ‘home of their own.’ As a member of the Addison Cultural Arts Development Commission, I was given approval to start writing grants for this project. 
 
I’m proud of what we have accomplished over the years working with the village board, school administrators, visual artists, musicians, and theatrical artists. We are grateful that the people of Addison and the surrounding area are a great audience!”
 
--Annette Leiber, Founder and President Emeritus of the Addison Center for the Arts
 
The Center partnered with numerous organizations like the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Salt Creek Ballet Company, Fantasia Ballet Company of Russia and the Mexican Folkloric Dance Co. of Chicago to bring culturally diverse arts programming to our ethnically diverse population.
 
Over the years, the ACA’s art gallery has hosted the art work of hundreds of professional Illinois artists other artists worldwide. In addition to the professional artists, the Art Center has displayed and nurtured the talent of up-and-coming student artists from the local schools and girl scout troops. 
 
In the fall of 2010, after a successful capital campaign in partnership with the Village of Addison and DuPage High School District 88, the Addison Center for the Arts opened the doors of its current home located in Addison Trail High School that features an art gallery, a 120-seat Studio Theater, a 1200-seat auditorium and shared classrooms. The new gallery is a focus of educational visits from the local elementary school students and is a valuable and convenient resource for the Addison Trail High School students.
 
The Addison Center for the Arts looks forward to embellishing the cultural life of its community far into the future.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to helping us bring the arts and culture to Addison and the surrounding communities! 

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