Celebrating the community with transformative and inspiring arts experiences!
We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to creating and sustaining cultural arts for the Town of Southeast and surrounding region. In August 2010, we were established as the Town of Southeast Cultural Arts Coalition (CAC) with the purpose, as detailed in the incorporation papers, “... to promote and raise funds for the development and effective management of affordable, accessible performance space that will provide citizens of the Town of Southeast opportunities to participate in and appreciate cultural arts, including lectures, theater, dance, film, music, visual arts, and inclusive community events.”
Since inception in 2010, CAC has operated a cultural arts center at the Southeast Old Town Hall while simultaneously spearheading efforts to restore this 1896 historic landmark and reopen its exquisite upper floor theater. CAC’s space Studio Around the Corner on the lowest level of Old Town Hall showcases area artists and hosts a wide variety of cultural events and programs for the surrounding communities in Putnam, Westchester, Dutchess, and Fairfield counties. The space is also available for artists, non-profits, and other community members to use.
History
The Cultural Arts Coalition, CAC, was formed by an assemblage of Southeast residents interested in developing an accessible and affordable performing arts venue within the the Town of Southeast for local performing arts groups. CAC is an offshoot of the Old Town Hall Task Force, a town-appointed group of citizens chartered to look into the feasibility of having the town renovate the Southeast Old Town Hall. The Task Force recommended that the Town proceed with bringing a $3.8M bond before voters in the November 2010 election. These monies would have been used to renovate the entire building according to sanctioned plans by the firm Franz and Franze Architecture PLLC. Although the bond was voted down by a slim margin, CAC felt that the Old Town Hall remained a great candidate for a performing arts venue and thus a cultural arts hub for the area. In support of our long term goals, we continue to work on the project.
The Old Town Hall, built in 1896, is an architectural gem listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This “Jewel in the Crown of Brewster” is owned by the Town of Southeast and situated a 67 Main Street in the Village of Brewster, walking distance from the Brewster Metro North Train Station. It currently serves as home for both the Cultural Arts Coalition and the Southeast Museum.
The middle floor houses the Southeast Museum, which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the material artifacts and culture significant to the history of the Town of Southeast and its environs. Established in 1963, the Southeast Museum offers both permanent and changing exhibits on local history and is open to the public with regular visiting hours.
The basement floor, former home of the Southeast Town Court and current storage area for some town records, was used for many years for intermittent town-sponsored meetings and library and museum activities. In 2011, the Town Board approved a resolution to rent portions of the basement premises to TOSCAC after hearing a proposal that the space function as the Coalition’s headquarters and the beginnings of a cultural arts center. In September 2011, the court room area was transformed with minor renovations into the Studio Around the Corner, to be used for various arts- and community-related events, including exhibitions, workshops, receptions, lectures, and concerts for audiences of up to 50 people. The Coalition formally opened the doors to its new headquarters on October 2, 2011, Brewster Founders Day (now Brewster Fall Festival), establishing its base of operations. TOSCAC currently is collaborating with existing cultural institutions, inviting those institutions as well as individual artists and community groups to use the studio and other spaces on the premises to bring art, culture, and visitors to Old Town Hall. This collaboration highlights the existence of the historic theater on the third floor and drives planning and fundraising to get the doors open to allow use of the theater.
The Cultural Arts Coalition, CAC, was formed by an assemblage of Southeast residents interested in developing an accessible and affordable performing arts venue within the the Town of Southeast for local performing arts groups. CAC is an offshoot of the Old Town Hall Task Force, a town-appointed group of citizens chartered to look into the feasibility of having the town renovate the Southeast Old Town Hall. The Task Force recommended that the Town proceed with bringing a $3.8M bond before voters in the November 2010 election. These monies would have been used to renovate the entire building according to sanctioned plans by the firm Franz and Franze Architecture PLLC. Although the bond was voted down by a slim margin, CAC felt that the Old Town Hall remained a great candidate for a performing arts venue and thus a cultural arts hub for the area. In support of our long term goals, we continue to work on the project.
The Old Town Hall, built in 1896, is an architectural gem listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This “Jewel in the Crown of Brewster” is owned by the Town of Southeast and situated a 67 Main Street in the Village of Brewster, walking distance from the Brewster Metro North Train Station. It currently serves as home for both the Cultural Arts Coalition and the Southeast Museum.
The middle floor houses the Southeast Museum, which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the material artifacts and culture significant to the history of the Town of Southeast and its environs. Established in 1963, the Southeast Museum offers both permanent and changing exhibits on local history and is open to the public with regular visiting hours.
The basement floor, former home of the Southeast Town Court and current storage area for some town records, was used for many years for intermittent town-sponsored meetings and library and museum activities. In 2011, the Town Board approved a resolution to rent portions of the basement premises to TOSCAC after hearing a proposal that the space function as the Coalition’s headquarters and the beginnings of a cultural arts center. In September 2011, the court room area was transformed with minor renovations into the Studio Around the Corner, to be used for various arts- and community-related events, including exhibitions, workshops, receptions, lectures, and concerts for audiences of up to 50 people. The Coalition formally opened the doors to its new headquarters on October 2, 2011, Brewster Founders Day (now Brewster Fall Festival), establishing its base of operations. TOSCAC currently is collaborating with existing cultural institutions, inviting those institutions as well as individual artists and community groups to use the studio and other spaces on the premises to bring art, culture, and visitors to Old Town Hall. This collaboration highlights the existence of the historic theater on the third floor and drives planning and fundraising to get the doors open to allow use of the theater.
