East Main Cultural Arts District in Ada, Oklahoma

The Arts District of Ada

"Providing a cultural and artistic atmosphere for all generations"

In the Arts District of Ada you can experience a wide variety of cultural and artistic activities. Located downtown, the Arts District of Ada includes galleries, shops, restaurants, the McSwain Theatre, the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center, an architectural tour, a sculpture garden, the Centennial Plaza, historic buildings, and numerous events.

A new Arts District Website is coming which will feature an event calendar, a map, a complete listing of arts related businesses and their contact information.

In the meantime, you may visit the following websites or call for information on events within the Arts District:

Act II - 580-436-2282

Ada Area Chamber of Commerce

Ada Arts Council

Ada Main Street

Chickasaw Nation

East Central University

Old Bank Gallery

Other news and updates
To keep informed of upcoming activity, please become a friend of the Arts District by joining the Facebook Group or email Bridget Forshay at bforshay@ecok.edu to be placed on an email list.

Town Hall Meeting for the Arts is scheduled for May 4, 2010. Sign up to reserve your spot and lunch to network with staff from the Oklahoma Arts Council and artists from other communities. You can hear information about arts and culture in the South East region of the State and what opportunities are available for grants through the Oklahoma Arts Council. Schedule (doc)

Entrepreneurs
For information on locating an arts-related business within the Arts District or for information on the Artist Incubator, please contact Bridget Forshay at 580-559-5296 or email bforshay@ecok.edu.

Watch the powerpoint presentation given at the ACHE Conference in Philadelphia on November 18, 2009

History
The Arts District of Ada was made possible by funding based on a unique proposal with the US Department of Agriculture, Rural Development who simultaneously awarded East Central University with two different grants for grassroots planning and business development. Totaling more than $600,000, these grants give the community of Ada a voice in shaping and creating the Arts District of Ada. The grants are to help launch a cultural arts district. Representatives from area businesses, organizations, and the community are providing leadership for the planning phase of the arts district.