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Office and Gallery Hours are 10 AM to 4 PM Tuesday through Saturday
Closed for all major holidays.
(OCAF is a Georgia registered NON PROFIT corporation 501(3)(c).Donations are tax deductible as provided by law: check with your CPA for more information.)
The OCAF bylaws place all authority in the Board of Directors. The Executive Board is made up of the officers of the Board and reports to the full Board of Directors. Staff is comprised of Executive Director and Assistant to the Director, they report directly to the Executive Board and the Full Board.
Founded in March 1994 as an all-volunteer and nonprofit
arts center in Oconee County, OCAF develops programs and classes in the
performing, visual and literary arts.Annual cultural arts festivals, ongoing art exhibits, classes for
children and adults, and musical and theatrical performances highlight OCAF's
schedule of events.OCAF supports
artists and crafts persons in the region by providing a venue for exhibits and
sales of artwork and craftwork and by educating the community to increase the
interest in the arts.
In 1994, OCAF entered into an agreement with the Oconee
County Board of Education to lease a four-room schoolhouse, originally occupied
in 1902, located at the end of School Street in Watkinsville.The building, unused for 12 years, had fallen
into a state of disrepair.With love and
care and a lot of sweat equity, OCAF was able to hold its first major art
exhibit to coincide with the 1996 Olympics.Since then, the 1902 OCAF Art Center has become the hub of the Oconee
County arts community--full of ongoing exhibits, concerts, performances, arts
classes and special events for people of all ages.
In early 2000, OCAF assumed ownership of the 1902 OCAF
Art Center, along with the kindergarten building and the old gym from the Board
of Education.Both buildings were in
need of major repairs and renovations to be used to full capacity. By the fall
of 2001, volunteers had transformed 50 percent of the kindergarten building
into what is now known as School Street Studios.With the additional space, OCAF's class and
workshop offerings increased more than 300%.
Volunteers continue to make renovations on the 1902
building, School Street Studios, and Rocket Hall.Committed to renovating these buildings, OCAF
members want to foster the traditions of education and sense of community that
this complex of buildings provided for 50 years.
