Mentor Cultural Arts

The Cultural Arts Division, housed at the City of Mentor’s Wildwood Cultural Center, offers programs, courses, and special events, including live musical and theatrical performances throughout the year, to support and encourage the development of the arts in our community.

Courses are offered for preschoolers through adults at the Wildwood Cultural Center, including painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, cooking, vocal and instrument lessons, dance, drama and so much more!

The Cultural Arts Division coordinates many special events, including Arts, Cultural, and Entertainment series, Earth Day at Wildwood, Fall for Jazz, Little Princess Valentine’s Dance, Mentor Farmers Market, Mentor Cruise In, Mother Son Dance, Murder Mystery Series, Music at the Manor, [unVeiled] Art Exhibits, Wildwood Fine Arts & Wine Festival, Santa’s Wild Workshop in the Woods, Holiday Boutique, and Christmas Open Houses!

To help support cultural arts in the Mentor community, Wildwood Cultural Center offers a membership program entitled Friends of Wildwood, that provides newsletters, informational emails, special discounts, and promotions to members.

The Cultural Arts Division also supports organizations including the Mentor Arts Community Commission, Basketry Guild, and the Garden Club.

The Mentor Community Arts Commission supports the arts in a variety of formats, such as the [unVeiled] series. The Commission strives to support cultural programs, events, and experiences that are informative, educational, and motivating for the community.

The [unveiled] programs celebrate art by highlighting local artists of all ages through artist exhibits and contests in facilities around the City of Mentor. This program was created in 1993 to highlight the accomplishments of Lake County artists. It was originally named and honored by the well-known watercolorist who created the program, Dorothy McNamara Maloney. The [unveiled] program has evolved into a wonderful artist opportunity locally held at the Mentor Municipal Center where individual artists can be showcased along with opportunities to win monetary awards.

Clubs

The Cultural Arts Division at Wildwood Cultural Center supports two

clubs and guilds, call (440) 974-5735 for more information.

Wildwood Garden Club
The Wildwood Garden Club meets the third Wednesday of January, February, March, April, May, September, October, and December, from 11a.m. to 12 p.m.

Wildwood Basketry Guild
The Wildwood Basketry Guild meets the third Thursday of March, April, May, July, August, September, October, and November at 6 – 9 p.m.

Courses offered year-round in art, drawing, painting, cooking, writing, music, language and more. Classes are offered for children and adults. Camps such as Wildwood Theater Camp and Kid Quest camp are offered in the summer. Find a class here.

Friends of Wildwood is a unique membership opportunity at Wildwood Cultural Center for individuals interested in supporting the cultural arts in the City of Mentor. This $15 annual fee has additional benefits: newsletters and informational emails, 10% off Wildwood Cultural Center classes and programs (resident rate), free entry to the Wildwood Fine Arts & Wine Festival and Holiday Boutique and more! The Wildwood Cultural Center, located on the beautiful grounds of the historical John G. Oliver estate, strives to maintain and provide cultural and artistic programs and experiences to the community and surrounding areas through:

  • Advocating: Working closely with the community to emphasize the importance of cultural arts and the positive impact they have on society.
  • Educating: Providing educational experiences through programs, classes, and events year-round for all ages Wildwood’s educational opportunities focus on visual, musical, performing, and environmental arts.
  • Organizing: Multiple programs, classes, and events in a variety of arts provide the community multiple chances to experience the cultural arts.

We are looking forward to you becoming a Friend of Wildwood!