The Center has its roots in the late 1940’s with a group of students of renowned frontier artist, Frank Reagh at “El Sibil”, Reagh’s historic Oak Cliff studio. One of Reagh’s students, Estha Josey, used her life savings to purchase El Sibil in 1963 so that the group would have a home, and then donated it to the City of Dallas for use as a public arts center. In 1965, the Creative Arts Center of Dallas received its charter as an educational arts organization, and a year later gained as an instructor the well-known sculptor Octavio Medellin, who came to CAC from the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts where he had taught sculpture and ceramics for 21 years. Medallin recruited other instructors, and taught at the Center until the early 1980’s.

In 1982 CAC moved to Kramer Elementary, a deactivated elementary school where it shared space with the Craft Guild of Dallas and Associated Creative Artists until 1989 when DISD reclaimed the school. In 1990, the Center purchased the old Bayles Elementary, a historic 1930’s elementary school in East Dallas, which is our current home. The two-acre campus has been transformed into an artists’ haven, including outdoor workspaces for metal and stone, a kiln room, indoor studios and exhibition spaces.