Arts & Entertainment

For Arts' Sake! Five Years at the MAC

Middletown Arts Center celebrates five year anniversary

From dilapidated, shuttered storage building to state-of-the art arts hub, the has a long and winding history. That history culminated in a fifth anniversary celebration of its opening on Sunday.

What used to stand on the site where the arts center now sits, next to the on Church Street, was the Banfield Storage building.

In the early 2000s, then Mayor Rosemarie Peters made it her mission to create the non-profit (501c3) Middletown Cultural and Arts Council, which was and is dedicated to fundraising to benefit what was to become

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Before any ground was broken on the site, in the inaugural years of the arts center concept, the Banfield building was spruced up and cleared out enough to host several rough-around-the-edges art shows and themed fundraisers.

Through funds raised from those fundraisers, grants and donations, the Middletown Arts Center was designed and opened its doors in 2007.

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With all overseen by the board of trustees and MAC staff, countless township-centric , classes and fundraisers have been hosted at the center since its opening.

Patch couldn’t make it to the celebration, but picked up the YouTube video, which shows the history from then ‘til now. Enjoy!

Tell us what you think of the Middletown Arts Center in the comments section below.


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