Our Mission

The Arts Council, Inc. (TAC) produces, promotes, coordinates and advances the arts to enrich the quality of life, economic development and education of the greater Huntsville/Madison County community. 

Our History and Programs

Founded in October 1962 as a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, The Arts Council advances the arts in Huntsville and Madison County, Alabama. TAC's programs and services directly impact Huntsville/Madison County residents, and children and adults throughout the community benefit from TAC's six core programs:

• Arts Assembly Support
• Arts Education
• Galleries and Public Art
• Create Huntsville Community Cultural Plan
• Concerts in the Park
• The Panoply Arts Festival

The Arts Council's Arts Assembly was created as part of the organization’s by-laws in 1962, and today the Arts Assembly includes over 100 arts organizations, individual artists, arts patrons, and other arts-minded non-profits, companies, and technical and professional organizations. The Arts Council serves as an “umbrella” for Assembly members, providing them with resources and tools that ensure their survival and expansion. TAC’s support of its Assembly members is central to the organization’s mission, as the programs and services offered by the Assembly organizations are vital to the continued growth and advancement of the arts in our community.

In 1963, TAC and several Assembly members took up residence in the temporary Civic Arts Center located at old West Clinton School. In 1964, TAC launched a 45-day spring “Festival of the Arts” highlighting the talents of its member organizations at a variety of locations. In 1973, TAC and its resident member organizations relocated to the old Rison School at Oakwood Avenue and Andrew Jackson Way, and in 1975 TAC moved to a suite of offices at the new Von Braun Civic Center.

In spring 1982, TAC partnered with the Junior League of Huntsville to launch the Panoply Arts Festival, and in June 1983 TAC assumed full administration and planning responsibilities for the festival. Six years later, in 1988, Panoply was honored with a Governor’s Art Award from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

TAC continued to develop new programming and initiatives throughout the 1990’s, and in 1993 the Council launched SEAFARE – a popular new fundraiser instituted to generate funds for TAC’s arts education and community outreach programming. In 1995, TAC partnered with the City of Huntsville to develop Concerts in the Park, a summer concert series.

The new millennium saw the continued growth and development of TAC’s programs and services, and in 2004 TAC launched pARTy, a second fundraiser to support the Council’s initiatives while showcasing talented regional artists before select collectors. 2006 marked Panoply’s 25th Anniversary and the Festival’s adoption of the Official  Alabama State Fiddling Championship, and in 2008 TAC opened two visual arts galleries: the The Gallery at Sam and Greg’s Pizzeria/Gelateria and the art@TAC gallery in the halls of the Von Braun Center. And in 2010, a consortium of local arts organizations and universities came together to launch Huntsville's first public art trail, the SPACES Sculpture Trail. 

With a vision to the future, The Arts Council continues to refine its existing programs and develop new initiatives to best serve its mission to enrich the quality of life, economic development and education of the greater Huntsville/Madison County community.

The Arts Council's programs and services are made possible through support from our generous individual, corporate and foundation supporters and the City of Huntsville, Madison County, the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.