Ella Reischer has lived in the Leland area for about nine years.
So when the town announced plans in 2013 to purchase an empty, partially constructed building off of U.S. 17 and turn it into the Leland Cultural Arts Center (LCAC), “I was right there in front with a shovel,” Reischer joked.
Since opening in 2015, the building with the distinctive red facade has proved to be “very important” for the community, Reischer said. “A lot of people go there. It gives people a lift.”
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After starting as a patron, Reischer now teaches an acting class for students age 50 and older. It’s just one of many offerings at the LCAC, from classes and performances to art shows and sales.
Just last weekend, artist Rachael Renee Baker had an opening for her exhibit of paintings of famous Black men while some of the artists from the LCAC’s pottery studio conducted a sale of their wares billed as “Mug Madness.”
Allison Hensley, recreation manager for Leland, started with the town seven years ago as the arts administrative supervisor at the LCAC, right around the time the facility opened.
Hensley said that in her time at the arts center, “The LCAC has become a unique community hub for Leland, a gathering place for learning, wellness, socializing and entertainment.”
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It also where the offices of Leland’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department are located, “So it is truly the headquarters for the planning and implementation of all recreation and cultural arts activities for the town,” Hensley said.
Among the LCAC’s most popular offerings are the spring and holiday art markets, which attract dozens of people to the center.
Reischer said the LCAC’s dance and pottery classes are among its most popular, and that the offerings have increased since the facility first opened to include everything from drawing and painting to basket weaving and stained glass.
It’s mostly an older crowd, Reischer said, but it’s common to see kids there as well, taking a dance class or playing in a recital.
![The Leland Cultural Arts Center is becoming a go-to community hub. [KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/02/10/NSTN/51331e3c-aea6-4497-bfd3-2135b29f805e-NCWIL-021322-NEWS-LELAND2.JPG?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Hensley said she conducts regular surveys to gauge what the community’s interests are while also making sure to take advantage of the 18,000-square-foot facility’s dance/fitness and pottery studios for regularly scheduled classes and activities.
An upcoming performance series includes aerialists (March 25), an illusionist (May 20)., flamenco music and dance (June 24) and improv comedy (July 16).
![People look around at the pottery on display Saturday Feb. 5, 2022 during the pottery show Mug Madness at the Leland Cultural Arts Center in Leland,N.C. [KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/02/10/NSTN/948fbce1-1895-4cef-ab04-db48aba61d67-NCWIL-021322-NEWS-LELAND1.JPG?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Some events and and offerings spill off the LCAC campus into the wilds of Brunswick County, like the Art Around Town series. Conducted with support from a North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroot Grant, it has artists and staffers leading pop-up art workshops at both the LCAC and in parks around Leland.
Stop by the LCAC, and you never know what you might find.
“The central hallway of the facility is also a gallery space, and we often have visitors stop by to see the artwork that changes monthly,” Hensley said. “Our multipurpose room might be housing a ballroom dancing or yoga class, (or hosting an) HOA meeting rental or a live performance.”
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or [email protected]
Want to go?
What: Leland Cultural Arts Center
When: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Where: 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland
Info: Register as an LCAC member at TownOfLeland.com/LCAC. Sign up to volunteer through the Friends of the Leland Cultural Arts Center at FriendsLCAC.org.
Details: 910-385-9891
SCHEDULE
Some upcoming events at the LCAC
- Every Tuesday: Leland’s Little Learners (program for kids ages 2-5, 10 a.m.)
- Feb. 16: Open music jam is every first and third Wednesday, 6 p.m.
- For an extensive list of classes and activities, download CAPE, the LCAC’s spring and summer program guide, at TownOfLeland.com/LCAC.
https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/entertainment/2022/02/14/leland-nc-cultural-arts-center-has-classes-performances-art-shows/6647885001/
