Valley Art Center Classes, Workshops, and Summer Camps

Valley Art Center Classes, Workshops, and Summer Camps offers art classes, workshops, summer camps, and art exhibitions. The program also connects families with art shopping through the Valley Art/Shop and galleries, and it is linked with Art by the Falls, a fine art and contemporary craft outdoor festival that features over 120 artists and draws over 15,000 visitors each year.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Open Monday–Saturday with daytime and one evening option; closed Sundays

Valley Art Center offers over 400 classes, workshops, and summer camps each year, and the Bowen & Patron Galleries host 9 exhibitions annually. The Valley Art/Shop and galleries include hundreds of unique original pieces of art for sale at a wide variety of price points. Valley Art Center has been providing local communities with art classes, art exhibitions, and art shopping for over 50 years since its incorporation in 1971. The organization describes itself as the hub of the visual arts in the Chagrin Valley and states a mission to enrich and inspire the community through meaningful visual art education, exhibitions, events, and partnerships. Valley Art Center promotes involvement and expanded access to arts opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, appearance, geographic location, or professional level, and has a diversity policy committing to reflecting the rich diversity of Northeast Ohio.

The leadership team includes Executive Director Austin Wieland; Assistant Director & Gallery Manager Julie Polsinelli; Assistant Director & Education Program Manager Hannah Bates; Valley Art/Shop Manager Ali Gemmer; and Program Manager Jeni Yonker. Austin Wieland earned a BFA from Miami University with a concentration in Ceramics and a minor in Arts Management, and an MFA in Ceramics with a minor in Sculpture from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Julie Polsinelli holds an MA in Art History & Museum Studies from Case Western Reserve University and a BA in Art History from the University of Akron. Hannah Bates holds an MFA in Craft and Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BFA in Fine Arts from Columbus College of Art and Design. Ali Gemmer received the Victoria Welling Award for excellence in drawing and painting in the 50th Annual Juried Art Exhibition.

Last updated July 4, 2026.