Arts+ Events
Arts+ Founders Day
We celebrated our inaugural Arts+ Founders Day on July 22, and the community came together to support the vision of our founder, Henry Bridges. Thank you to everyone who joined us at an event, gave a gift, and spread the word. Save the date for next year: July 22, 2026.
Because of your support, we have far exceeded our goal, raising over $20,000 for arts education in Charlotte AND unlocking an incredible $10,000 matching gift. That's a whopping $30,000 directly ensuring that no student is turned away from music and visual art because of an inability to pay. THANK YOU!
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, we popped up throughout Charlotte to share the joys of music and visual arts:
- Arts+ Community Campus
Free hot and iced coffee and empanadas from Giddy Goat and tunes from local accordionist Alan Kaufman. - Monarch Market
Student performances on a variety of instruments. - Common Market Plaza Midwood
Live painting from local artist Sharon Dowell with an interactive element.
Honoring Our Founder On His Birthday
Arts+ was founded as Community School of the Arts in 1969 by Henry Bridges, the organist and choir director of the First Presbyterian Church in Uptown Charlotte. He envisioned the program after realizing the church had 15 unused pianos in its basement and was surrounded by an urban neighborhood with children who could benefit from—but could not afford—high quality music lessons.
In the inaugural year, Henry recruited four of the finest piano teachers in Charlotte and accepted 20 children from more than 150 applications. Students received instruction free of charge five days a week, learning through private lessons, supervised practice, choir, sight singing, and music theory.
Henry Bridges remained the executive director until 1982, when he stepped away from administrative duties to become a full-time piano teacher for the organization. Henry retired from teaching in 1992 but remained a lifetime member of the Board of Directors until he passed away in March 2018.
Arts+ Today
To this day, our mission is to unleash creativity, transform lives, and build community through outstanding and accessible arts education.
We offer instruction in music and visual art for both children and adults that is designed to provide access to outstanding arts education plus all the benefits it brings, including skills in teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Each year, we are proud to deliver high-quality arts education to thousands of students. As a result of our extensive outreach programs, financial aid, community partnerships, and supporters, a majority of our students receive their education for free or at a reduced cost.
