Call to Action

JCAE is a non-profit 501(3)C Organization which means any donation you make is tax deductible. We are currently embarking on our first fundraising campaign. Our immediate financial needs include funding an economic impact study and a complete building assessment. Contact us at contact@jeffersoncenterae.org.

A young artist at work Dance studio and perfomances Groups meet and plan Not for profit medical service

Mission

To revitalize the historic Jefferson School to become a thriving interactive community center for arts, learning, and service.

Vision

The historic Jefferson Elementary School Building will serve as a catalyst for community and cultural development. The Jefferson Center will actively encourage and sustain efforts aimed at reinvestment in the community and improving the quality of life in South Fayetteville and the region.

Although the project’s mission is to create a critical mass of social, educational and cultural activities, economic factors also play an important role. Because educational and cultural amenities are desirable commodities in today’s economy, this facility will spur re-investment in the immediate neighborhood while maintaining the character and integrity of this historic building.

Programming

Visual arts and performance arts will exist side by side with education and social services, space for non-profits and community meeting rooms, to support a multi-generational clientele. This diversity will insure an innovative, collaborative and energetic organization. The Jefferson Center will seek to find an optimal balance between affordable social services, the arts, education and economic development. Examples
may include:

  • Skills, scholarship and employment training
  • Medical, legal, and other not for profit professional services
  • Art, music and theater education
  • Offices for non-profits
  • Artist studios and gallery space
  • Performance and theater spaces
  • Café and retail venues
  • Early childhood and after-school facilities
  • Community meeting rooms
  • Adult education

Summary

More important than the accommodation of physical needs is the creative synergy that will result from the interaction of curious and creative people from all walks of life. A vibrant community needs a strong network of social services that strives for a productive and healthy population. Additionally, a diverse arts program is one of the hallmarks of an energized and successful region. The excitement, energy, and investment in this project will breathe new life into and help stabilize the surrounding area.

Our community places value on vision, history, creativity and intellect. We can create an enduring legacy housed within a building that is evocative of generations of learning and service. The Jefferson Center for Arts and Education will provide educational opportunities that stimulate personal and intellectual growth while serving as a social and cultural jewel for our community.

History

Pictured right is the historic Jefferson Elementary School in Fayetteville Arkansas. The school, closed in 2005, would be the ideal location for our organization.

We envision a thriving center of learning, creativity and service bursting phoenix-like from within the walls of an abandoned school. Once more, the voices of children and adults, teachers and learners, artists and humanitarians are vibrantly heard. Jefferson school is alive again, the focal point of learning and service in South Fayetteville and the surrounding area.

Historic Jefferson Elementary

Photo by Cassandra Alford