Our Story

Welcome to the Aurora Cultural Centre

At the Aurora Cultural Centre, we believe that arts, culture, and heritage can play a role in changing our world and our community. This is the fabric that deepens our understanding of our shared experience, and creates a more compassionate society.

Since 2010, the Centre has welcomed the community to create and participate in diverse experiences for all ages. Located in a beautifully-restored 1886 schoolhouse, we proudly program four vibrant gallery exhibition spaces, a range of instructional classes for children, teens and adults, an eclectic live music series, special family events, summer arts camps, and offer stunning rental spaces for a unique experience. Partnerships – with our community, businesses, schools and more – are at the heart of our operations, and vital to our success.

The Centre is a registered charity, generously funded in part by the Town of Aurora. We are proud to have earned the Imagine Canada Trustmark, demonstrating excellence in non-profit operations. Our professional staff is supported by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors and enthusiastic team of volunteers.

Wheelchair accessible, air-conditioned, and with parking surrounding the building, we look forward to welcoming you through our doors.

We invite to you #BeEngaged, #BeInspired.

Vision

The Aurora Cultural Centre aspires to be broadly recognized as a cultural leader and artistic hub that delivers exceptional experiences through diverse performing arts, engaging and thought-provoking visual arts, and serves as a vibrant centre for advancing arts education where people of all backgrounds can deepen their appreciation for creative endeavours.

Mission

Our mission as a not-for-profit charitable organization is to be a leading cultural and artistic hub, offering excellent and inclusive experiences to our community and beyond, celebrating diverse voices, and connecting people through the presentation of live performance, visual arts, and arts education that…

  • Deepen our engagement with the creative industries that support our growth and strengthen our connections with the community;
  • Provide tangible opportunities for artists to learn and grow;
  • Invite partnerships to build our reputation, inspire innovation, and expand our voice;
  • Stimulate economic activity and tourism in Aurora with exciting, entertaining, and distinctive experiences.

Core Values

Excellence

We are committed to the highest quality standards in our performances, exhibitions, educational offerings, and the manner in which we serve our artists, patrons and volunteers.

Collaboration & Community Engagement

We believe that engaging with community groups, listening to community interests, working together with artists, Aurora town leaders, sponsors, donors, volunteers and staff creates stronger programming and greater impact.

Inclusivity

We provide equal opportunity for people to join our team, and actively work together to remove barriers to participation, embrace diverse perspectives, and create programming that reflects and celebrates our community’s many cultural identities and lived experiences.

Artistic Integrity

We respect artistic integrity, innovation, new approaches to traditional art forms, and artists pushing boundaries, while maintaining standards that we set in consideration of our community, to present meaningful experiences that resonate with our audiences.

Responsible Governance & Stewardship

As a not-for-profit charitable organization, we operate with a long-term view to fulfill our vision and mission through responsible governance and stewardship of our resources, being accountable for decisions that ensure our financial and organizational health while delivering quality programming at prices that are accessible to the community.

Our volunteer Board of Directors have worked, and continue to work, tirelessly to create the strong governance foundation that guides the growth and development of the Aurora Cultural Centre. The Directors meet monthly (at least), attend various committee meetings and bring a diverse skill set to their roles. Board members must live in the Town of Aurora, or, for up to four positions, live in York Region but outside Aurora. The Board of Directors of the Aurora Cultural Centre are ratified annually at the Annual General Meeting. Directors’ terms are two year commitments, and may be renewed three times up to a maximum of six consecutive years. Each Board member also sits on a committee and provides assistance with fundraising activities.

The Centre hosts four public meetings annually, held at 7pm on the second Wednesday of March, June, September and December. The community is invited to attend, meet the Board of Directors, ask questions, and learn more about what we do.