In November 2002, Destination Downtown!, a volunteer
action group of The Lancaster Campaign, began meeting
with stakeholders located along Prince and Water Streets, between King and Walnut Streets, presenting specific streetscape improvement ideas that would ultimately create a special and unique arts corridor. In Fall of 2003, under the guidance of arts consultant Todd Bressi, Destination Downtown! refocused the initial notion of an exclusive geographical arts corridor to a citywide arts movement called LancasterARTS. The Destination Downtown! action group became the LancasterARTS Steering Committee.

 Several years later, after an extended strategic planning process, the Steering Committee decided to establish LancasterARTS as an independent legal entity. With a startup grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation, the Steering Committee conducted a national search and hired a full-time CEO in July 2007. LancasterARTS incorporated in October 2007 and received IRS recognition as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organization in April 2008.

Our Guiding Principles

• It starts and ends with our core purpose.
• We are about all the arts.
• Without the artists, there would be no art.
• Collaboration is essential to our success.
• Results, not good intentions, are what count.
• Think creatively, have bold intentions, act with passion.