The Caldwell County Arts mission is to maintain and promote the connections among the diverse communities of Caldwell County, Missouri, by providing opportunities for artistic and cultural expression, education, and appreciation of the arts.
We are a local organization that supports the Arts in Caldwell County, Missouri. The founding organization (Hamilton Recreation Company) was formed in 1982 to save and upgrade a former movie theater building, and establish a facility for the arts. In 2000, the organization changed its name to Caldwell County Arts and became a community arts agency serving the entire county. Caldwell County Arts has sponsored and supported the long-term cultural development in the community by providing vibrant, inspiring theatrical productions (musicals, locally written and published plays), concerts (professional and amateur), dancing, annual art shows (mixed media and countywide student shows), poetry reading, video contests, storytelling, and in-school programs for all seven school districts in the county.
The board of directors made a decision to sell the theater building in 2015 to Missouri Star Quilt Co. who supports the arts. The sale was a win-win situation for all parties, including the community. It has allowed Caldwell County Arts to expand and improve its mission to maintain and promote the connections among the diverse communities of Caldwell County, Missouri, by providing opportunities for artistic and cultural expression, education, and appreciation of the arts.
Each year in March we host the Missoula Children’s Theater in order to provide an opportunity for area students to experience live theater. There are no drama departments in area schools. The professional actors and directors will teach, inspire and broaden their horizons. In addition, we have scheduled dance and storytelling programs through Kansas City Young Audiences in Hamilton, Polo, and Braymer. This fits our mission to support young talent and to bring opportunity that would not otherwise be available.
Each April we host the Caldwell County Student Arts Show in Polo. Art teachers from the county bring a variety of artwork to the Polo Community Center to be viewed by art enthusiasts as well as to be judged and presented with ribbons for the students’ achievements in art.
Each June we have a Mixed Media Arts Show in Hamilton for interested artists of all ages. We have included a video contest and poetry reading to coincide with the arts show. The purpose is to provide a forum for local and area artisans to exhibit and display their original works of art and at the same time provide communities in the served area an opportunity to view the talented artisan’s work. It fills our mission to preserve and encourage artistic talent in various media.
In December we host a Christmas Concert entitled “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The purpose of the concert is to support area singers, musicians, actors, and directors, and provide a creative outlet to display their talents and provide entertainment for the community.
Because we want to encourage young people to continue pursuing their artistic goals, we offer a scholarship to Caldwell County college-bound high school seniors who are planning to major in an art-related field. We have contacted high school counselors with information about the scholarship which will help the recipients with some expenses to further their education.