About Us

Our Mission
To preserve our historic building and provide cultural and educational programs for our community

The Sandisfield Arts Center is managed by a volunteer board of directors assisted by additional volunteers and generous donors. For more information about our Board of Directors, click here.

Montville Baptist Church circa 1892
Montville Baptist Church circa 1892

The Sandisfield Arts Center building has an interesting history; in 1839 it began an 80+ year run as a Baptist meeting house, another 75 as an orthodox synagogue (the only known rural orthodox synagogue on record in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). In 1995 the building was reborn as a performing arts center. For the full story of how this came about, click here.

Since that time, the Sandisfield Arts Center has evolved into a professional non-profit organization recognized by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the National Trust and the public for our dedication to preserving this historically-important building and rehabilitating it for use as a performing arts center. In 2006, the building was accepted on the National Registry of Historic Places as “The Montville Baptist Church.” Visitors now come from all over Berkshire, Hampden & Litchfield Counties, as well as New York, Boston and Connecticut for our unique, quality performances.

Arts Center
Sandisfield Arts Center today

The small-town, grass-roots commitment that gave birth to SArC (our official name is Sandisfield Arts and Restoration Committee) in 1995 is still present today, as the organization depends almost entirely on volunteers. These dedicated folks meet, administer, collate, clean, bake, paint, host, donate and perform their way through tough economic times, long, cold winters, and all the challenges that small, non-profit arts organizations face on a daily basis. Major improvement projects in recent years added a vestibule and a handicapped lift to make the building handicapped accessible.

Equally impressive is the financial commitment our donors have made to saving this unique building and helping the Arts Center expand its programming each year.

Finally, the Sandisfield Arts Center has helped bring various segments of the community together in the spirit of volunteering, the enjoyment of the arts, and with free events like family film nights and Yuletide extravaganzas. Many weekend residents had owned homes in Sandisfield for over a decade without having met any of their full-time neighbors. Now, they serve side-by-side on volunteer committees. The Town of Sandisfield and all its civic groups have been very supportive and we are grateful for the variety of help we receive.

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