A mill full of makers
We are a nonprofit arts council that believes everyone has something to make and somewhere to show it.
From looms to easels
The Hartwell Textile Mill stopped weaving in 1994 and sat dark for twenty years. In 2014, a handful of artists asked the owners for a lease and a broom. They swept the first floor and hung the first show the same weekend.
Word got around. A potter brought a kiln. A retired band director brought a drum kit. The Hometown Arts Council grew into studios, a gallery, a black-box stage and a classroom with the best light in town.
We still do things the mill-town way: make it yourself, share your tools and show up for your neighbors.
How we make things
Everyone is an artist
No résumé required to join a class or hang a show.
Local first
We hire, show and celebrate artists from this county.
Make it affordable
Sliding-scale tuition and free community nights.
Stay curious
We try new forms and invite new voices every season.
How we got here
A few moments that shaped who we are today.
The mill goes quiet
Hartwell Textile closes its doors.
First show
Artists sweep the floor and hang forty paintings.
Open mic begins
Fridays at the Mill Stage never stop.
310 member artists
We celebrate a decade of making in the mill.
The people who keep it humming
Executive DirectorDolores Marsh
A painter and former art teacher who runs the front desk too.
Gallery CuratorTheo Hartwell
Hangs every show and knows every nail in the wall.
Education DirectorInes Carrow
Books the instructors and keeps the studios stocked.
Stage ManagerRufus Bell
Runs open mic with a clipboard and a cowbell.
Our creed
- Art belongs to everyone.
- A town with a stage is a town with a story.
- Teachers and learners swap places all the time.
- Good work deserves a good wall.
- Come as you are, leave with something made.
Keep the arts alive in our town
Pop in for a show, a class or a Friday night open mic. Admission to the gallery is always free.