Chaffee Art Center

The Chaffee Art Center (the Chaffee), a501c(3) non-profit community-based organization housed in a historical 1890’s mansion in Rutland, Vermont, was founded in 1961 by the Rutland Area Arts Association with the mission to promote the arts within the region.  The Chaffee is financed by donations, memberships, exhibit sponsors, events, and commissions on exhibit art sales.  The Chaffee has a record of continuous community support since its inception 60 years ago, and is a rich resource in the Rutland region.  True to the spirit of its founders, the Chaffee continues to preserve a unique part of Rutland’s history and Vermont traditions with tours for in-state and out-of-state visitors to get a glimpse of how life was like in Vermont in the 1890’s, while providing a critical resource for the arts and art education.  The Chaffee’s mission has grown along with the needs of the region; to providing arts education, as well as promoting the arts to nurturing the essential relationship between the arts and our community through exhibition, education and collaboration. The Chaffee is committed to promoting the arts in the community by providing educational classes, workshops, and camps for all ages.  It also provides community enriching events and programs representational of a variety of arts programs (music, dance, fine art both 2D and 3D, and theater).  The Chaffee feels the arts are essential for all, and displaying the work of talented artists and offering a wide variety of educational experiences is extremely valuable to the well-being of our community.