Starting in April of 2025, the Arts Council will be housed within the Scout Hall building at 426 Broadway Street in Downtown Cape Girardeau. This move directly aligns with our mission as we will be in a space that also offers literary, performing, culinary, and even healing arts events and programs. Our Director said it best, 

“This is more than a building. This is a new heartbeat for the arts in our community and region. This is an opportunity for all of us to have a creative home...to dance, to laugh, to learn, to experiment...and to let every day of our lives be filled with wonder and friendship. This is the dream. You are invited to make it a reality.”

Our new home will solely house the Visual Arts Cooperative Gallery. The elimination of other in-house galleries is a strategic decision in order to make art exhibitions more accessible in different community spaces. The Children’s Arts Festival, I’m So Local…I’m Right Here, Members Exhibition, and Regional Juried Exhibition will be outsourced to other local businesses and galleries to promote community collaboration. Artists interested in exhibiting works in a solo setting will be partnered with these spaces as well. 

First Friday with the Arts was once a flourishing monthly event, but never quite recovered after 2020. While the event has been steadily growing, we plan to make First Friday bigger and better than ever, starting in the summer of 2025. With a new and more sustainable Friends of First Friday membership model, we hope that the majority of local Downtown Cape businesses will come together to create a walkable wonderland of arts, performances, shopping, and more. A thriving First Friday will have a positive effect on the health of our local economy.

While maintaining a professional gallery is a very important part of our organization, we are proud to say that over 50% of our program schedule is classified as arts education. We will continue to hold programs in our gallery space, as well as partnering with the Scout Hall venue in order to provide these opportunities for a larger audience. With nearly endless collaboration possibilities, we are excited to grow! Serving the underserved is something we are deeply passionate about, and our location will help us bring the joy of the arts to everyone in our community.

Our Mission

The mission of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri is to provide a forum for residents and artists of the Southeast Missouri region to explore, experience and share in the diversity and excitement of the visual, literary, performing, culinary, and healing arts.

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri was founded in 1961 by local metal-smith, Otto F. Dingeldein. We are proud to be the oldest Arts Council in the state, and even precede the Missouri Arts Council in date of origination by a few years. We provide approximately 150 educational programs and events to the area over the course of the calendar year.

Over the past 64 years, the Arts Council has undergone many name changes and moved to various locations. However, the mission has always stayed the same.  In pursuit of fulfilling this mission, the Arts Council partnered with a local artists’ cooperative titled the Visual Arts Cooperative in 2003.  The group is comprised of 30+ local and regional artists.

From 2016-2025, the Arts Council occupied 16 B N Spanish Street and operated under three gallery spaces, the ACSEMO Gallery, the Visual Arts Cooperative Gallery, and the Micro Galleries. This building also featured a sensory-inclusive classroom called the Collab Lab. Previously, the Arts Council had occupied the 32 N Main Street building. While there we had three different galleries: Jean Chapman Gallery, Gallery 100, and Lorimer Gallery.

Established in 2003, First Friday with the Arts is an event created to uplift local galleries and businesses in and around Downtown Cape Girardeau. The participants are called our Friends and First Friday and are encouraged to remain open during extended First Friday hours and host a special event or activity.

Over the past decade, our organization has focused our efforts on arts education in our community while maintaining a professional gallery space. Doing so, we have been able to expand our mission and create programming for our underserved community, such as children, adults with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and veterans.

The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri welcomes group visits during any of our regular business hours or by appointment for extended hours. We welcome school groups of all ages, adults, troops, and any other organization that wishes to spend anywhere from 30 minutes to all day with us!

We are committed to providing learning experiences for kids, teens, and adults of all abilities. The Arts Council also provides workshop or craft experiences with groups at little to no cost - depending on the depth of the request.

Do you have a badge or patch to earn? The Arts Council welcomes all troops to make us a part of your experience and we want to help you earn your achievements. If you provide us with the requirements to earn a specific patch or badge, we can create a special program specifically for your group. You will work either directly with our staff or an invited local artist to create a one-of-a-kind event!

Location
Located in the Scout Hall Building
426 Broadway St
Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701

Hours
Tuesday - Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
First Friday of Each Month: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Gallery Phone Number
573-334-9233

General Email Address
artscouncil@capearts.org