The Johns Creek nonprofit that started in a small building behind what is now Johns Creek High School is turning 30 this year, and it's throwing a party.

The Art Center will host its 30th Birthday Celebration Gala on Friday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m. at St. Ives Country Club, 1 St. Ives Country Club Dr. The evening will feature live music, arts entertainment, and heavy hors d'oeuvres, according to the organization's event listing.

Proceeds benefit The Art Center's community programming, including free and reduced-cost classes for at-risk youth and senior citizens. Tickets are available now at itstheartcenter.org.

Three decades, three names

Founded in 1996 as the Warsaw-Ocee Arts Center, the organization predates the City of Johns Creek itself by a decade. It operated out of a small space in what was then unincorporated north Fulton County, launched through a public-private partnership with the Fulton County Council for the Arts, according to The Art Center's website.

In 2005, the center moved to its current home at 6290 Abbotts Bridge Rd. to gain more classroom space and open a clay studio. After Johns Creek incorporated in December 2006, the organization renamed itself the Johns Creek Arts Center around 2007 in solidarity with the new city. It rebranded again in 2024 to simply "The Art Center," signaling a broader regional identity.

In an October 2024 blog post announcing the name change, the organization said it anticipated growing beyond the borders of its home city to connect with the wider art community.

Recognition and reach

The Art Center describes itself as the second-busiest arts center in Georgia by programming volume and says it is one of only five Legacy partners in Fulton County. It has received recognition from the Georgia Senate, the Georgia House of Representatives, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, and the City of Johns Creek.

In October 2025, Fulton County District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne congratulated the organization on X after it was named Best Art Lessons/Studio in the Best of North Atlanta 2025 awards presented by Appen Media.

The center runs adult and youth classes, workshops, a ceramic studio, and outreach programming in more than a dozen locations across Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties. Its spring 2026 "Upcycled: Reclaimed and Reimagined" exhibition drew nearly double the usual foot traffic.