OCAC’s mission is to restore and maintain historic Oxford College as a permanent home for the arts in the Oxford area, to facilitate activities of the community arts organizations and to promote the arts and arts education.




Oxford College for Women was founded in 1830. The original building dates to 1849 with significant alterations and additions in later years.

Sections were added to the building in the 1870’s and 1880’s with the ballroom added in the 1920’s. The monies for the ballroom were raised by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in honor of First Lady Caroline Scott Harrison.

Caroline Scott attended the Oxford College for Women where her father, The Reverend John Witherspoon Scott, was the first President. She met Benjamin Harrison while he was a student at another college. He transferred to Miami University in the early 1850’s and they married in 1853, one year after his graduation. Benjamin Harrison was elected President of the United States in 1888. Caroline Scott Harrison served as the first national DAR President while living in Washington, D.C.

In 1928 Oxford College for Women became part of Miami University and was extensively remodeled with funds provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was during this renovation that the building’s exterior was altered to its current Georgian style. For many years, the local chapter of the DAR met in the new ballroom, and that tradition has been recently revived.

In competition with the Oxford Female Institute and Western College for Women, Oxford Women’s College was formative in the early days of women’s higher education.

The restoration of this building not only preserves an historical landmark, but also provides Oxford and the surrounding area a theater, ballroom, meeting and classroom facilities as well as studios for area artists.

Oxford Community Arts group was formed in 1998.  Community need for an arts facility had long been identified, and Miami University was about to dispose of the large, historic building that was once Oxford College for Women. A group of 12 formed a steering committee to save the building as a center for the arts in our area.  The group was incorporated in 2001. The Mission of the Oxford Community Arts Center is to restore and maintain historic Oxford College as a permanent home for the arts in the Oxford area, to facilitate activities of community arts organizations, and to promote the arts and arts education.

The Oxford Community Arts Center is a not-for-profit organization representing performing and visual community arts groups who wish to rehearse, perform, display and teach their various art and craft forms in a facility that represents a permanent home for the community arts.

• Jack Williams - Board President
• Sue Momeyer - Board Vice President
• Sarah Michael - Board Secretary
• Germaine Vonderhaar - Board Treasurer
• Norman Butt
• Robert Coveney
• Bob Johnson
• Cindy Hurley
• Jim Killy
• Joe Neyer
• Bonita Porter
• Linda Straus
• Kelly E. Wilson