Tahawus Center

A place for ideas – with room to move

You can’t miss the Tahawus Center – the tallest building in Au Sable Forks, the Town of Jay.   It sits at the entrance to town between the bridge and the Hollywood Theater.  Built in 1911 as a Masonic Lodge, it had served the town for decades before it fell into sadly derelict, unused condition.   Along came dance artists Rebecca Kelly and Craig Brashear, of Rebecca Kelly Ballet.  Seasonal residents since 1987, they have been forging a conduit between the Adirondacks and NYC with their annual Rebecca Kelly Ballet Onstage program at Lake Placid.  In 2010 they turned their vision and their energy to Au Sable Forks and rehabilitation of the old building began, turning it into a real community center.

At a glance
  • The airy and spacious 3rd floor Cloudsplitter Dance Studio hosts classes in ballet and yoga, and the popular Swing Dance for adults, and magnificent views of the confluence of the Ausable River and Whiteface Mountain.
  • The 2nd floor Windows Art Gallery presents the work of local and visiting artists, as well as a series of symposiums, a women’s workshop, and education programs such as the Summer Science Lab for Youth, and Conversations on Film – following its new Au Sable Forks Film series at the Hollywood Theater.
  • Our goal at Tahawus is to identify artists, innovators, and educators, who are working away in our mountains and valleys to share their work with the community. Placing these ideas - or results - in a public space and causing a gathering, provides a forum for the artist and educator, and the work, to become interactive, and inspirational.