CHESTERTON ART CENTER ACQUIRES NEW FACILITY

Chesterton Art Center (CAC) is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a new building! The building is located at 116 South 4th Street, directly across the street from CAC’s existing building. The primary purpose of the expansion is toincrease the square footage of accessible classroom space. Once renovated, the building will feature two classrooms that will house both the ceramics and printmaking programs. Additionally, the building will serve as the hub for CAC’s growing ArtsConnect classes for adults aged 60+ and allow CAC to host larger community-oriented events.

“Every so often, an organization has a moment that defines its future. For Chesterton Art Center, this is that moment. We are moving forward with a transformational expansion of our facility—one that will reshape how we serve artists, students, and the broader public for generations to come,” said Hannah Hammond-Hagman, CAC Executive Director.

1992 was also one of those times. With the support of a generous donor, a two-story classroom was added to CACadjacent to the main gallery. Over thirty years ago, the decision to expand was based on the desire to create a dedicated space for studio art classes. In the intervening years, art education has become a foundational part of CAC’s work. Inviting people from the community through CAC’s doors and helping those people find their creative voices by teaching them the necessary skills has been a resounding success!

That decision also led to the growth that has brought CAC to the current moment. In those original classrooms,CAC now hosts over 150 classes and workshops annually. This summer, when CAC learned that the building acrossthe street was going to become available, Hammond-Hagman and the CAC Board of Directors were already awarethat CAC needed to do something to meet the growing need for more space to serve our community of artists andstudents.

“We recognized that our current operations were at capacity, and this opportunity came at a perfect time for us togrow our programming to better serve our cherished community,” said Jane Delligatti, CAC Board Chair. She wentto say, “Just like in 1992, a generous benefactor emerged who made this acquisition possible; someone whobelieves in the valuable work CAC does is in the Duneland community.”

For Hammond-Hagman, the vision is more far-reaching than the physical growth of CAC’s facility: “This expansion is about more than adding space. It’s about building a creative home that reflects the heart of our community—a place where imagination and learning intersect and where we connect through art.”

CAC expects to open their new classrooms to the community in early 2026. Between now and that time, there is a lot of work to do, from renovations to fundraising to making a vision a reality.