Bay School Community Arts Center

MISSION STATEMENT The Bay School Community Arts Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide people of all ages and abilities opportunities to learn, experience and appreciate the arts. Through excellence and diversity in classes, exhibits, lectures and performances, the Bay School is a gathering place for all. The Bay School Community Art Center is a progressive fine arts organization that believes that art is a fundamental tool of self-exploration, shaping personal identity and creative potential. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all, embracing human diversity in all its forms as it enriches our programs, strengthens our community, and honors the individual need for self-expression. Through our educational workshops and lectures, performances, events, and exhibits, we serve our mission as a gathering place for all to learn, experience, and appreciate the arts. VISION STATEMENT "To place the Bay School Community Arts Center on the regional map as an artistic destination by bringing artists and audiences together" The Bay School Community Arts Center was founded in 1997 by Wendy Wells. Wendy's vision was to have a community arts center in Mathews that could serve as a creative meeting place. Through the efforts of Wendy and committed local artists and townspeople, her dream became a reality and continues to thrive in our small rural town on the Middle Peninsula in eastern Virginia. Originally named Mathews County School of Country Arts, The Bay School became a 501c3 non-profit organization in 1998 and moved to its present location on Main Street in Mathews Courthouse in 2001. The school began with and continues to focus on fine arts and crafts classes. The move to the current location enabled the addition of a pottery studio and gallery. Now, a backyard stage is used to present our students' theatrical and musical explorations for the community.

We conduct over 100 classes in the fine arts and crafts in two classrooms, one of which is a pottery studio with over 30 community members. On occasion, off-site classes are held at local artists' studios, and our backyard contains a stage that often is used to present our students’ theatrical and musical explorations for the community. Over 30 talented local artists teach our classes in a variety of media for both adults and children. The Art Speaks Gallery showcases the work of over 80 local and regional artists, with monthly themed exhibitions, an annual statewide juried exhibition, an annual show of student work, a monthly featured artist, and artisan markets throughout the year. The Bay School provides free arts outreach programs partners to local organizations serving special populations who cannot participate in public programming. This is the heart of our non-profit mission.