Centennial Art Center

Nashville’s Place for Visual Artists to Create, Connect, and Explore

Metro Parks Nashville logo with green leaves and a column design.
Creative Parks Nashville logo with theater masks, music note, art palette, and bridge

Discover visual arts at Centennial Arts Center.

Metro Parks’ Centennial Art Center (CAC) is a historic building located in the 25th Avenue North and Park Plaza corner of Nashville’s beautiful Centennial Park. It hosts art and cultural experiences by offering classes, workshops, art exhibitions, and gallery/museum field trips for the community.

CAC was originally built as a swimming complex in 1932; it closed permanently during the unrest of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. In 1972, CAC became the first Metro Nashville facility rehabilitated for adaptive reuse and it reopened that year as an art gallery and visual arts learning facility. CAC celebrated its 50th anniversary as a visual arts facility in 2022 while also serving as an enduring chapter of Nashville’s Civil Rights history. The grounds of CAC were further enhanced in 2023 by the unveiling of a new public work of art: the “Path To A Higher Note” statue.

Experience CAC

Person painting colorful mural on wall

Take a Class

Art gallery with paintings and sculptures on display. One artwork involves wood and depicts a person wearing a headdress, surrounded by other framed portraits on the wall.

Visit our Gallery

Garden with a pond and fountains, surrounded by lush greenery and trees, near a modern building.

Enjoy the Courtyard

Register for a class, learn about the facility, and discover the gallery schedule here.

CAC’s educational arts activities are supported by the nonprofit Creative Parks Nashville (CPN) which provides community-based leadership to Metro Parks’ Music, Theater, and Visual Arts divisions.

301 25th Ave N,
Nashville, TN 37203

Hours
Mon - Thr: 9am - 5pm
Fri: 10am - 4pm

Phone
(615) 862-8442

Historical marker for Centennial Park Swimming Pool in a park setting. Centennial Park, Nashville
A tranquil garden with a large tree, flowering plants, a small pond, and a stone sculpture. There are patio chairs and a brick wall in the background.
Centennial Art Center building with modern sculpture, red brick exterior, and surrounding trees.
A child holding a yellow balloon stands next to a bronze sculpture of a dancing figure, outdoors in a garden setting. An elderly woman sits in the foreground.
Colorful mosaic sculpture of two figures holding a heart, outdoor setting with brick building in background, surrounded by grass and flowers.
Lush garden with fountains and building in background.
Outdoor gathering with seated audience and speakers near brick building, surrounded by a garden with flowers and a sculpture.
art gallery interior with paintings and sculptures on walls, including a portrait and a wood artwork
Bronze sculpture of a dancing figure with a yellow balloon near a pond with trees in the background.