Belle Levine Art Center
Our space at the Belle Levine Art Center (BLAC) was a turn-of-the-century barn, once the studio of cartoonist Bud Fisher who created “Mutt and Jeff”, the first syndicated cartoon for the Chicago Tribune. Many upgrades and modifications have been made in recent years affording a more comfortable and compliant space. All of our programs and services are currently offered at our Mahopac site which includes our offices, gallery space, work space, class space, a pottery studio and a printmaking studio.
At our 4,000+ sq. foot accessible Art Center, we present and promote the arts in Mahopac and throughout the region. We serve thousands of folks on site annually through exhibitions, classes, events, and workshops; all affordable and some free. We offer a scholarship program for teens, and a family-funded grant program for adult visual artists. We are a destination for artists and arts enthusiasts with an open door policy and free entry to our gallery events. We offer free workspace for potters as well as visual artists, offer rehearsal space for performing artists and a site for photographers. We offer a private studio to one artist at a time with 24/7 access at a most affordable rate.
Annually, we present 10-12 exhibitions in our gallery, featuring solo, juried, student, and member shows that showcase over 700 emerging to advanced artists from throughout the region. The art center’s classrooms host over 75 onsite programs for all ages in fine arts, printmaking, ceramics, and mixed media. We provide free space for classes offered through our Putnam County Youth Bureau and offer our gallery to rotaries and community groups for meetings. BLAC is managed by the Putnam Arts Council.