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Monday 8:15am - 5pm Tuesday 8:15am - 5pm Wednesday 8:15am - 5pm Thursday 8:15am - 5pm Friday 8:15am - 5pm

City of Savannah Department of Cultural Resources

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City of Savannah Department of Cultural Resources

The City of Savannah’s hub for diverse art, cultural, and heritage-based activities. Express Yourself at The Otis S. The closest to the Otis S.

Join us for classes, performances, art exhibitions, and apply for arts and culture funding! With the mission to enrich the lives of Savannah residents and visitors, the City of Savannah Cultural Resources Department creates, promotes, and supports a diverse and exciting variety of quality art, cultural, and heritage-based activities. Johnson Cultural Arts Center

Opened in 2019, the new Otis S. Jo

hnson Cultural Arts Center (formerly Savannah Cultural Arts Center) boasts creative studios, a state-of-the-art performance venue, and gallery space. Home to the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Resources, the CAC is located in the historic district, next to the Savannah Civic Center. Savannahians and visitors are invited to stop in to visit our free gallery, join us for an event in our theatre or First Fridays out on the lawn, and attend workshops to learn a new skill – from jewelry-making to African dance!
*Note: this building is currently closed to the public. Online art instruction and virtual classes are being offered. Visit savannahga.gov/arts for more information. How to Find Us

Bus: The CAC is located just a couple blocks from the downtown Chatham Area Transit bus station, meaning you can reach us via any bus route! If you are downtown you can also take the Historic Loop on the dot, a free shuttle in downtown Savannah. Car: Street parking is available around the historic district and city garages offer covered parking. Johnson Cultural Arts Center are the Liberty Street and Robinson garages. Walking: We are located on the west side of the historic district. Head towards Martin Luther King Jr Blvd along Oglethorpe Ave, or your favorite tree and square-lined street. Cultural Affairs Commission

An 18-member Cultural Affairs Commission, appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen, meets every other month to review contracted programming. In addition, the commission meets once a year to recommend purchases of cultural services from eligible arts organizations through the Arts & Culture Enrichment (ACE) and Weave-A-Dream investment programs.

08/05/2026

Art exhibitions are back after a pause for Summer Arts Camps! Join us on Friday, August 14 for the opening reception of our latest gallery exhibition, Not Away.

Not Away explores the lives of objects beyond their intended purpose, tracing how materials accumulate history through cycles of use, abandonment, and renewal. Featuring Kelly Boehmer, Monica Cioppettini, and Christopher Nitsche, the exhibition brings together reclaimed materials that retain echoes of their past while taking on new meanings through transformation and reinvention. Curated by Antonia B. Larkin and Joshua Alexander.

This event is free and open to the public. This show will be on display August 14-September 26. Stay tuned for information about upcoming Not Away workshops, as well as an exhibition in our Visual Arts Wing opening August 28.

*This exhibition contains artwork with mature themes that may not be suitable for young children. Visitors accompanying children are encouraged to use their discretion.

08/04/2026

📣Applications for the City of Savannah’s Junior Cultural Affairs Commission program are now open! 📣

The Jr.CAC program gives high school students the opportunity to get involved in arts and cultural programming across the City of Savannah while earning volunteer hours. Participants attend Cultural Affairs Commission meetings and City-sponsored events, share their perspectives on how arts and culture impact youth and their communities, and help shape the future of cultural programming in Savannah.

Applications are open now and will close on Monday, August 31. Visit savannahga.gov/jrcac or click the link in our bio to learn more and apply today.

07/30/2026

Last week, we wrapped up an amazing season of Summer Arts Camps with our youth visual and performing arts camps, themed around “Earth's Elements.” 🌎

Our visual arts campers created imaginative stories inspired by the elements of our planet and brought them to life through sculptures made with clay, paper, cardboard, and other mixed-media materials. Over in performing arts, campers used dance and acting to transform the elements into exciting performances, ending the week with a fantastic showcase at the End of Camp Party for fellow campers.

Thank you to all our campers, families, instructors, and staff for making this summer one to remember. We loved seeing so much creativity, confidence, and artistic growth over the past several weeks.

07/27/2026

The Otis S. Johnson, Ph.D. Cultural Arts Center in partnership with the American Red Cross will be hosting a community blood drive on Thursday, August 6th from 10am-3pm.

Donors with all blood types are needed, especially those with types O negative, A negative, and B negative. A key goal of this drive is to help close the health equity gap for sickle cell patients. According to the American Red Cross, more than 100,000 people in the United States have sickle cell disease and may need as many as 100 units of blood each year. Your donation could help alleviate the symptoms of someone living with this disease, or even help save their life.

Walk-ins are welcome, but we highly encourage you to make an appointment ahead of time if you would like to donate. Donors will receive two $20 Amazon gift cards. Visit https://www.redcross.org/ and enter Sponsor Code: CityofSav to reserve your spot today.

07/23/2026

Last week, teens wrapped up another session of specialty camps sculpting, soldering, and improvising in the arts!

Campers in Narrative Sculptures brought their own imagined characters to life through clay. In the Metals Studio, teens in Jewelry & Metals camp learned fundamental techniques in working with metal while creating jewelry pieces and small sculptures. Campers in Teen Improv and Drama learned the art of improvisation through character creation, fun improv games, and collaborative short scenes.

This week marks the final week of Summer Arts Camps as we welcome youth visual and performing arts campers. It’s been an incredible summer, and we’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year!

07/20/2026

Full session arts classes are back in August, and registration is now open! 🎨🕺

Join us at the Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center for visual and performing arts classes for youth, teens, and adults. In Fall 1 term, we’re offering a variety of classes in 2D art, ceramics, metals, dance, acting and more with returning favorites and exciting new offerings.

Registration takes place on our new registration software, CivicRec. City of Savannah residents may register beginning Monday, July 20th at 12pm, and non-residents may register beginning Monday, July 27th at 12pm.

Please call 912-651-6783 or email [email protected] for registration assistance or questions. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another creative and fun term of classes!

07/15/2026

Week 5 of Summer Arts Camps was a magical adventure as our youth campers stepped into the world of “Once Upon a Fairytale!” 🏰

Our visual arts campers brought their favorite fairytale stories to life through drawing, painting, ceramics, and more. They also created enchanting works of art using recycled materials to show fellow campers during a gallery exhibition at the end of the week. Meanwhile, our performing arts campers rode magic carpets, danced, acted, and rehearsed throughout the week before taking to the stage to perform their own fairytale-inspired production at our End of Camp Party.

This week teens are enjoying specialty art and drama camps, and next week we’ll be wrapping up Summer Arts Camps with one last week of youth camps!

07/14/2026

Registration for programs at the Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center has moved to CivicRec! You will need to create a new account to register for classes, and non-residents will have a separate registration date one week after registration opens for City of Savannah residents.

To help you get started, we will be hosting a registration fair for anyone who needs assistance creating an account, navigating the system, or with general questions on Thursday, July 16 from 12–1 PM and 5–6 PM.

Fall 1 registration will open for City of Savannah residents on Monday, July 20 at 12pm and Monday, July 27 at 12pm for non-residents.

We look forward to helping you make a smooth transition to CivicRec! Please visit savannahga.gov/arts to learn more and get started today. Contact us at [email protected] or call 912-651-6783 for questions or assistance.

07/08/2026

Week 4 of Summer Arts Camps was all about adults! We hosted three dance intensives and one visual arts intensive for ages 17+, giving participants the chance to explore new skills, refine their techniques, and express their creativity.

In Picassiette Mosaics, participants transformed repurposed china, broken plates, and cherished mementos into one-of-a-kind mosaic artwork. In our studio theater, dancers challenged themselves in Ballet, Modern Dance, and Hip Hop intensives, building technique, confidence, and artistry.

This week, we're excited to welcome our youth campers back for another round of visual and performing arts camps. Next week, our teen specialty camps return with ceramics, jewelry, drama, and more. There are still spots available in Teen Intro to Dance Styles, visit bit.ly/cacteendance to learn more and register today!

07/06/2026

Applications for the Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center’s Spotlight Facility Use Program are now open!

Are you a nonprofit organization looking for a space to host an event in the Savannah community? The Spotlight Facility Use Program provides a subsidy for nonprofit organizations to purchase rental space at a free or discounted rate from the Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center on select dates throughout the year.

Three Spring weekend dates are available for programming:
Thursday, March 4th – Saturday, March 6th
Thursday, March 18th – Saturday, March 20th
Thursday, April 1st – Saturday, April 3rd

Examples of past programming include film screenings, Q&A panels, photography exhibitions, performances, and more. Applications will close on Thursday, December 31st or once all dates have been awarded. View the application information and apply online at https://www.savannahga.gov/3460/Spotlight
Questions? Email [email protected]

Address

201 Montgomery Street
Savannah, GA
31401

Opening Hours

Monday	8:15am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:15am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:15am - 5pm
Thursday	8:15am - 5pm
Friday	8:15am - 5pm

Website

https://www.savannahga.gov/arts

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