The South Haven Art League was organized in 1951 under the sponsorship of the American Association of University Women. The original purpose of the Art League was to encourage individual artists to pursue their art, and to create interest in the visual arts and foster the growth of art in the community.

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The South Haven Center for the Arts resides in a Carnegie Library built in 1905 at a cost of $12,500, granted by the Carnegie Foundation. The library relocated across the street in 1959 and was then used as a community center until the late 1970s. It was renovated in the mid-1980s by the South Haven Art Association (inc. 1984) with help from the City of South Haven, The Michigan Council for the Arts (now MCACA), an equity grant from the State of Michigan, fundraisers, private donations, and the careful hands of local tradesmen, craftsmen, and volunteers. The Art Association opened the doors of its permanent space on June 9, 1990 as the South Haven Center for the Arts. Another round of renovations began in 2015, and the historic home of the art center continues to be a beautiful venue in which to promote the enrichment of our community through the arts.

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Who was the first president of the South Haven Art League? Where is the Carnegie Library time capsule buried and what's in it? Check out our history blog to learn these interesting facts, and more about the evolution of the organization and the building.