Richland Academy of the Arts

Richland Academy of the Arts: Learning through Inclusivity, Creativity, and Experiences

Thirty-three years ago, Richland Academy of the Arts was founded with the vision of creating a place where everyone could pursue their artistic passions and talents by exploring the artist within.  Since 1991, the Richland Academy of the Arts has offered classes, workshops, and individual lessons in art, dance, martial arts, music, and theatre with the support of the Ohio Arts Council and others. To better our local and other Ohio communities, The Richland Academy of the Arts sponsors community school programs, has awarded nearly $800,000 in merit-based tuition assistance and scholarships for students and their families, and has worked to aid in the redevelopment of downtown Mansfield.

Our mission is to foster, through artistic expression, the creative potential that exists in everyone to enrich the lives of our neighbors, our community, and the world at large.

Empower the Arts Campaign - It's Our Time and Our Turn

Executive Director, Dr. Michael Benson, Leads Richland Academy of the Arts Into the Future

With a Doctorate in Musical Arts and Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin and experience as the Department Chair of Music and Visual Arts at Malone University, Richland Academy of the Arts Executive Director, Dr. Michael Benson, is an accomplished musician, arts educator, and experienced leader. In his second year, Dr. Benson is spearheading the Richland Academy of the Arts’ Empower the Arts (ETA) Capital Campaign and leading the Richland Academy of the Arts toward a future of success. 

Serving nearly 1,900 students from all over North-Central Ohio, Richland Academy of the Arts is in former furniture store buildings and the old Majestic Theatre in downtown Mansfield. These buildings are home to our non-profit organization and are no longer a good fit for the Richland Academy of the Arts' cultural arts programming. As a result of increasing enrollment and projected growth, Dr. Michael Benson and the organization’s Board of Directors are launching a capital campaign to raise $3.7 million to restore the outdated buildings, remain in downtown Mansfield, and modernize teaching and performance spaces.

Founded by former Executive Director, Marianne Cooper, Richland Academy of the Arts is a group of like-minded individuals who have come together to further the lives of our community through education, training, and performance within the arts. Through achievements, opportunities for growth, and performance, our students do not only learn artistic skills but life skills. And what's more, we invite the entire community of all ages to experience and participate in the benefits of an arts education. It’s our “time” and our “turn”.

Building imagery features changes to 4th St. and Walnut St. views.

The Richland Academy’s modernization and renovation plan also calls for expensive upgrades to antiquated electrical, plumbing, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. 

This capital campaign is aptly named: Empower the Arts (ETA) as it is our “time” for a capital campaign and our “turn” in our community to seek major funding from donors like you. Please consider a gift toward the ETA campaign to benefit Richland Academy of the Arts, one of our community’s strongest assets. 

Empower the Arts Today!