Oxford Community Arts Center
10 S. College AveOxford, OH 45056
513-529-8506 | https://oxarts.org/
Oxford Community Arts Center
In the former home of the Oxford Female Institute, the Oxford Community Arts Center offers endless opportunities for visitors to engage with the arts of every medium. A statue memorializes Caroline Scott Harrison, an Oxford woman who became First Lady of the United States and the founding President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Oxford Community Arts Center enriches the lives of its community members by providing opportunities for visitors to see exhibitions of local art, enjoy performances, exercise their own creativity, and learn about the past. Galleries on the first floor of the arts center are frequently refreshed with new artwork and a full calendar of performances and workshops mean that a new experience awaits during each visit.
The Oxford Community Arts Center’s home in a beautiful Georgian Revival building connects visitors with Oxford’s educational legacy. The original building was completed in 1850 to house the Oxford Female Institute, which merged with the Oxford Female College in 1867 and became the Oxford College for Women in 1906. After the college closed in 1928, Miami University acquired the building and remodeled it to serve as a dormitory for women, who called their residence “Ox College.” The building is known for its sprawling ballroom, which was added during renovations in 1929 with monies raised by the Daughters of the American Revolution in honor of their first President General Caroline Scott Harrison.
In the gardens behind the Arts Center, a bronze statue memorializes First Lady Caroline Scott Harrison, who was born in Oxford and educated at the Oxford Female Institute, where her father was president. Caroline was a singer, pianist, and artist who married Benjamin Harrison in 1853. While Harrison served as the 23rd President of the United States, Caroline renovated the White House with limited funds, designed new presidential china, raised money for Johns Hopkins Medical School, and helped establish the Daughters of the American Revolution. Caroline Scott Harrison’s artistic and civic legacy are honored by this memorial, tying the modern-day mission of the Oxford Community Arts Center into the history of Oxford and one of the city’s most famous daughters.
Notes for Travelers
Visit the Oxford Community Arts Center’s website for a calendar of open artist studios, performances, and other events.