About Perkins Center for the Arts
Mission Statement
Perkins Center for the Arts is dedicated to excellence in the arts and to providing a wide range of creative opportunities for people of all ages and of every level of artistic development.
Vision Statements
There is something for everyone at Perkins Center for the Arts.
Quality arts programs have the power to change participants’ lives.
From its early roots in Moorestown, NJ, Perkins Center for the Arts has become a regional arts center serving a constituency in southern New Jersey and beyond. Perkins has a 14 member board of trustees, a staff of 15 and a budget of 1.2 million. Since 1977 Perkins has operated in a 1910 historic Tudor home and carriage building in Moorestown (Burlington County) and in 2002 expanded to a second facility in Collingswood, NJ. The Collingswood location has enabled us to reach new audiences, expand our programs in Camden County and support a multi year arts initiative in the City of Camden. Plans are underway to fully renovate the building to include quality art studios, classrooms and exhibition spaces within an environmentally sensitive "green building." Working in partnership with the Borough of Collingswood, this expansion allows us to develop new programs in the visual, performing and literary arts, reach new audiences, and maintain the warm and intimate atmosphere of a community arts center.
Recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as a Major Presenting Organization and receiving a Citation of Excellence, Perkins Center offers arts programs that promote participation, understanding, and communication among diverse audiences. Over 800 people walk through Perkins Center’s doors weekly at both the Moorestown and Collingswood centers. The Center’s programs include: Studio Classes in the visual and performing arts for all ages; an Exhibition Series which promotes and supports emerging and established artists; a Conservatory of Music with individual and group music lessons; a Performance Series including classical Family Concerts and folk/contemporary DeCafe Concerts; an ARTS (Art Reaching The Students) Residency Program which matches professional artists with schools for extended residencies in their respective disciplines; a Summer Arts Camp bringing urban and suburban youth together in a creative arts environment; an Out-of-School program for at-risk youth; a Mural/Community Gardens Initiative in Camden City, NJ; and most recently, the establishment of a Folklife Center to document and engage the diverse ethnic groups and communities in the tri-county area (Burlington, Camden & Gloucester).
Please contact us for more information. We hope to see you at one of our events in the near future.
