Culture

Springfield, and especially Center City, are rich with cultural opportunities. Although the lights of Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus are not far away, Springfield boasts a strong selection of cultural pursuits.

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Springfield Museum of Art
http://www.spfld-museum-of-art.org/
107 Cliff Park Road
Springfield, Ohio 45501 USA
Veterans Park in The Buck Creek District
Phone: (937) 325-4673
Fax: (937) 325-4674

The Springfield Museum of Art houses an impressive permanent collection of paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture featuring 19th and 20th century American and European art and works of Ohio artists. In addition to these works of art, two of the seven galleries at the Springfield Museum of Art are dedicated to special changing exhibits. The exhibition program addresses contemporary and historical issues and encourages critical understanding of the visual arts. Topics are selected for their local, regional, national, and/or international importance. Ten to twelve special changing exhibits are presented each year.

Clark County Heritage Center
http://www.heritagecenter.us/
117 South Fountain Avenue
Springfield, OH 45501
Phone: (937) 324-0657

A century-old City Hall and Marketplace has become the new home for Clark County/Springfield's heritage. Within this gem of Clark County architecture can be found memorabilia dating from the American Revolution through recent history. Companies that had a home in Clark County and a manufacturing presence throughout the region and beyond have left their marks on the exhibits. Carriages, reapers, steamrollers and sewing machines, to name a few, grace the interior of this 6,000' space, making the Heritage Center a valuable piece of regional and American history.

Springfield Arts Council
http://www.springfieldartscouncil.org/
Shawnee Place
8 North Limestone Street, Suite B
Springfield, OH 45501
Phone: 937-324-2712
FAX: 937-324-3170
Toll-free 1-866-324-2712

Begun in 1967 as a summer arts program, the Springfield Arts Council provides Springfield with national tours of Broadway shows and musical performances throughout the entire year. During the summer months, the Arts Council has remained true to its roots, putting on performances in the Veteran's Park Amphitheater, drawing thousands of spectators to the annual Summer Arts Festival. The Springfield Arts Council, whose mission statement is "to build a better community by sharing the performing arts with all citizens of the Springfield and Clark County community", is an invaluable part of Springfield's atmosphere.

The Clark State Performing Arts Center
http://www.pactkts.com or http://pac.clarkstate.edu
300 South Fountain Avenue 
P.O. Box 570 
Springfield, Ohio 45501-0570  
Ticket Office: (937) 328-3874
Ticket Office (Toll Free):  1-866-PAC-TKTS (1-866-722-8587) 
Administrative Office: (937) 328-3841

The Arts, Culture and Heritage District

The Clark State Performing Arts Center is by far the most popular venue to see the best shows that come to this area. Events ranging from Broadway shows and Country artists to high school graduations grace both its 1,500 seat Kuss Auditorium and 200-seat black-box Turner Studio Theater. In addition to the various Series that Clark State Community College presents, organizations such as the Frontiers, Ohio Lyric Theatre, Springfield Arts Council, Springfield Civic Theatre, Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Wittenberg University call the Center home. Our region is fortunate to have this state-of-the-art performance venue that makes so many quality shows available.

Springfield StageWorks
http://www.springfieldstageworks.org
Phone: (937) 322-4459

Springfield StageWorks is a new semi-professionial community theatre company in Springfield, Ohio. The concept of StageWorks is to provide the Springfield area with full seasons of locally produced classic and contemporary theatrical works.

Culture Fest
The Core District

"Celebrating Our Diverse Heritage. Discovering Our Common Ground." Each year, the City of Springfield hosts Culture Fest. This event is a celebration of the diverse population in this area, from Irish to African, Middle Eastern to Native American. Food, games and crafts are just a few of the offerings of this festival, not to mention the camaraderie and intermingling of citizens and visitors of Springfield alike.

Springfield Symphony Orchestra
http://www.springfieldsym.org/
P.O. Box 1374
300 S. Fountain Avenue
Springfield OH 45501
Phone: 937.325.8100
Fax: 937.325.2299

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra has been enchanting audiences for 60 years, not only through the music of talented musicians, composers and guests, but also through various programs geared towards youths. In addition to the SSO's standard five-concert series every year, they also perform at numerous schools throughout the area, host youth camps and mentor the Youth Symphony and String Ensemble. A multitude of other activities and performances are presented by the SSO throughout the year as well. With this organization, there is most certainly something for everyone.

Ohio Performing Arts Institute
http://www.ohio-performing-arts.org
36 1/2 N. Center St.
Springfield, Ohio 45502
Phone: (937) 324-7444

The OPAI is a not-for-profit group committed to children's dance, their dance education and their performance skills. Scott Davidge, before becoming the Artistic Director of OPAI, performed around the world and in many shows on Broadway; he uses his talent to help his students explore all of the creative aspects of dance. The Nutcracker, performed every year by those studying with OPAI, is an anticipated Christmas event in Springfield during the holidays.

Ohio Lyric Theatre
http://www.ohiolyric.org/
PO Box 432
Springfield, OH 45501
Phone: 937-323-7755

Beginning over 40 years ago, the Ohio Lyric Theatre initially performed opera, using local musicians to bring to life extravagant stories. Now, although still using local talent, choral music and musical theatre have replaced opera, and the organization has bridged the generation gap and included KidStage and other children's activities in their repertoire. The OLT's venues change with the seasons, performing at the Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival and at the lark State Performing Arts Center during spring, fall and winter.

Springfield Civic Theatre
http://www.springfieldcivictheatre.org/
P.O. Box 3093
Springfield, Ohio 45501
Phone: (937) 342-2172

A fixture in Springfield since the early 1930's, the Civic Theatre calls on local residences to put their acting skills to good use. This summer the troupe will present Annie July 11-13 in Veterans' Park Amphitheater.

The Westcott House
http://www.westcotthouse.org

Built just after the turn of the 20th century, the Westcott House was a beautiful example of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style of architecture. In the mid-1900's, the house was broken up into apartments, let fall into dilapidation and lost much of what made the house such a symbol of architectural significance. In the past few years, however, a Foundation has been set up to restore the Westcott House, to reclaim as much of the original design as possible.

Wittenberg University
http://www.wittenberg.edu/
Wittenberg University, founded in 1845, offers a rich array of cultural events throughout the academic year (late August through early May). Located at Ward and N. Wittenberg Ave., just north of downtown Springfield, parking on campus is free and all performances are easily accessible without climbing stairs. Visitors to Springfield are always welcome to tour the beautiful campus and to attend public lectures and performances sponsored by the University. Most are free admission.

The Wittenberg Series is the university's premier series of cultural events and brings distinguished lecturers and performances by nationally and internationally renowned dance companies, musicians and theater troupes to the area. Outstanding concerts and recitals featuring professional artists, highly-accomplished faculty performers, alumni artists, music ensembles and a number of student-directed shows are presented annually by the Department of Theater and Dance. Exhibitions by professional artists and students can be viewed weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Art Department's Ann Miller Gallery in Koch Hall.

Student groups and the Office of Student Activities also present cultural programming on campus, particularly for those of college age. Many of these events are free and open to the public.

The Springfield/Clark County Public Library
http://www.ccpl.lib.oh.us/index.html
201 South Fountain
Springfield, OH 45506
Phone: (937) 328-6901
The Arts, Culture and Heritage District

The Clark County Public Library is a vital piece of the community and especially important jewel in the downtown. In addition to its broad collection of reading and research material, it hosts a wide array of seminars, classes and meetings. An additional highlight is the library's Speaker Series which has recently brought such notables as Mary Higgins Clark and Doris Kearns Goodwin.