Our Purpose

The Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA) is a private, non-profit arts organization established in 1984 to promote the arts in the greater Northampton area. Located in downtown Northampton adjacent to the Academy of Music, NCFA provides low-cost exhibit and performance space for area artists and arts organizations in an elegant turn-of-the-century performance hall and two adjoining galleries. NCFA is dedicated to programming theater, music, art and dance that is culturally diverse.

Our People

Executive Director: Penny Burke
Associate Director: Dustin Sleight
Operations Manager: Steve Davis

Board of Directors

  • Dorothy Nemetz, Chair
  • David Barclay, Vice-Chair
  • Debin Bruce, Treasurer
  • Claudia Lefko, Clerk
  • Rene Anderson
  • Madeleine Weaver Blanchette
  • Dave Boutilier
  • Nancy Goldstein
  • Amanda Schreyer

Board Emeritus Advisory Group

  • Ann Shanahan
  • Bud Stockwell
  • T. Michael White

The Center for the Arts has two resident performance companies: the Lisa Leizman Dance Company and the Happy Vally Guitar Orchestra.

Our Space

Ballroom

The Center's versatile historic ballroom—a theater, a concert hall, a rehearsal space—has served as a venue for The Performance Project, 24-Hour Theater, Sacred Harp Convention, Pilgrim Theater, Twist Fair, Jane Hanson's Summer Vocal Music Academy, Nimble Circus Arts and archguitarist Peter Blanchette's Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra—among others. It is also home base for the Lisa Leizman Dance Company, our signature Jazz Masters Piano concerts, our monthly Preschool Performing Arts Series, and our "Ballet Beginnings" classes with Pioneer Valley Ballet.

A Community Exhibition Space

Our gallery highlights an extraordinary array of works in monthly exhibitions by local artists. Filled with natural light, our community arts classroom is a versatile space where some of Northampton's most prominent artists offer public classes and workshops. We thrive on collaborative projects—the Iraqi Children's Art Exchange, The Torso Project, Show Us Your Bra—and we are a proud participant in Northampton's Arts Night Out.

A Community Events Space

Affordable and accessible, the Center hosts community organizations that gather for special meetings and fundraising events. These include benefits for the Jackson Street School PTO, the Vegan Bus, the Hartsbrook School, Hairston House, NHS Amnesty International, and the Montessori School of Northampton.

A Community Learning Space

In addition to events in our community art space, ongoing classes and workshops (on our freshly refinished ballroom floor) feature an incredible number of dance options. From creative movement, ballet, modern and hip-hop to ballroom, salsa, swing and tango, we've got the community moving. We're especially pleased to collaborate with the Piti Theatre Company in offering "Let's Make a Scene," a creative acting workshop for children that culminates in an original performance.