About the Arts Center:

Create Arts Center is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our mission is to promote creativity, self-expression, and learning in the arts. Art engenders growth and has healing qualities, such as relaxation and the building of confidence and self-esteem. An important part of our mission is to reach out to underserved populations in the community.

We promote our mission by offering arts classes, arts camps, and arts parties to children ages two to 16, and by offering arts classes and arts therapy programs for adults of all ages. CREATE also leads outreach programs in the form of after-school arts classes, and conducts arts workshops in public and private schools. Some of the workshops focus on students who are struggling academically or come from disadvantaged homes. Some of these workshops are held through Linkages to Learning and work with children and young teens in the Silver Spring public schools. At the Create location we work with autistic youth. We often include a few children with ADD to our regular camps and classes as art is a modality that helps these children to concentrate and succeed. An important part of our mission is to bring the arts to underserved populations for whom the arts can be a bridge to an improved quality of life. Create also serves the adult population through the Studio Downstairs, an art therapy program which meets for three hours twice per week.

We pride ourselves on both the artistic skill and the sensitivity to individual students that our teachers possess. In addition to teaching arts skills, we help our students to develop confidence and self-assurance in their ability to create arts. Creating joy and excitement in the process of art making is an integral component in our classes. Our teachers bring a lot of enthusiasm to their class and endeavor to make learning the arts pleasurable. Learning a skill and creating a beautiful and/or meaningful product is an important part of each of our classes and camps. Focusing on the process of creating rather than only on the product makes for a positive experience for each child and adult, and ensures that their love of the arts will grow and they will want to make the arts a part of their lives.