Burlington City Arts @ The BCA Center

Updated June 10, 2025

## Burlington City Arts @ The BCA Center: Burlington’s Contemporary Art Hub on Church Street

In the middle of Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, a former 19th-century firehouse now functions as one of Vermont’s key homes for contemporary art: Burlington City Arts @ The BCA Center. Housed at 135 Church Street in a restored brick firehouse, the center is run by Burlington City Arts (BCA), the city’s own arts department and cultural planner.

This guide walks you through what the BCA Center actually offers—beyond a quick walk-through of a gallery—and how to fold it into a wider visit to Burlington.

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## Quick Overview

– What it is: A three-level contemporary arts center with rotating exhibitions, artist talks, and education programs operated by Burlington City Arts.
– Where: 135 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401, in the pedestrianized Church Street Marketplace.
– Focus: Contemporary art exhibitions, community-focused programming, and education (classes, camps, open studios via BCA Studios).
– Who runs it: Burlington City Arts, a public–private partnership funded by the City of Burlington plus charitable support.

Different local and official listings show slightly different opening hours. The official BCA website and partner sites all broadly agree that the BCA Center opens several afternoons a week, with extended hours into the evening on Fridays and Saturdays. Always confirm hours just before your visit, as schedules and closures for holidays or installations change.

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## A Historic Firehouse Turned Contemporary Art Space

The BCA Center sits inside the former Ethan Allen Firehouse, a brick fire and police station dating back to the 1880s.

– The building originally housed the Ethan Allen Engine Company No. 4, a private fire company that later served as a municipal fire and police station.
– After it fell into disuse mid-20th century, community advocacy stopped demolition plans and pushed for adaptive reuse.
– Burlington City Arts began using part of the ground floor as an art space in the 1990s; the renovated Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts (now the BCA Center) opened fully to the public in 2002, with galleries, a community darkroom, and education facilities.

That history matters when you walk in: the tall arched windows and brick façade are original, but the interior now supports contemporary art that’s often experimental, multimedia, and globally oriented.

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## What You’ll See Inside

### Rotating Contemporary Exhibitions

The BCA Center is one of the few spaces in Vermont dedicated specifically to contemporary art exhibitions.

– Exhibitions typically run for several months and are spread over multiple levels of gallery space.
– Shows range from solo projects by Vermont artists to thematic group exhibitions that place regional work in dialogue with wider global issues—grief and loss, the environment, or questions around identity and place.
– The center often pairs exhibitions with artist talks, panel discussions, or film screenings, making it worth checking the events calendar rather than just dropping by for a quick look.

Because exhibitions rotate, what you see will change across the year. The official BCA site maintains a current exhibitions page with dates and details—rely on that for up-to-date information.

### Education, Classes, and Open Studios

Formal classes and hands-on learning mostly run through BCA Studios at 405 Pine Street, a separate facility in Burlington’s South End.

From there, BCA offers:

– Adult classes in ceramics, jewelry, printmaking, photography, and other media.
– Youth and family programs, including camps and weekend workshops, designed so young visitors can participate without needing prior experience.
– Open studio access in dedicated spaces like the jewelry studio or darkroom for people who already have some technical background and want regular access to tools and equipment.

Scholarships and financial support are available for qualifying participants, which is important from an inclusion perspective: BCA explicitly states that it aims to expand access to arts education, not just provide programming for those who can pay full fees.

While most of these activities happen at the Pine Street studios, seasonal family days and gallery learning sessions do also take place at the BCA Center itself, often on the upper floors.

### Events, Festivals, and Community Role

Beyond the walls of the firehouse, BCA functions as Burlington’s cultural planner:

– It helps organize and support festivals, public art projects, artist markets, concerts, and film series around the city.
– Programs like “Art from the Heart” bring art into healthcare settings, including at the UVM Medical Center, where patients gain access to art supplies and volunteer visits.
– Public art and city-wide projects are part of a deliberate strategy: BCA’s mission includes making the arts integral to Burlington’s economic development, public spaces, and civic life.

Even if you only have time for a quick gallery visit, you’re seeing one piece of a broader citywide arts ecosystem.

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## Practical Details for Visitors

### Location and Getting There

– Address: 135 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401, USA.
– The building stands on the west side of Church Street, between Main and College Streets, within the pedestrian Church Street Marketplace—Burlington’s main outdoor shopping and dining corridor.
– You’ll find cafés, bookstores, boutiques, and additional galleries within a few minutes’ walk, making it easy to combine an exhibition visit with food, coffee, or shopping.

Public transport and parking details can shift (new routes, changed pricing), so check current Burlington transit and parking resources before you go.

### Hours and Admission

Different sources present slightly different opening times:

– BCA’s own pages list the BCA Center as open Wednesday–Friday 12:00–5:00 pm and Saturday 12:00–8:00 pm, with specific holiday closures.
– Love Burlington, a local tourism site, also shows Tuesday afternoon hours plus extended evenings on Fridays and Saturdays.

Those discrepancies are a red flag that hours have changed over time. To avoid out-of-date information, treat all of the above as approximate and verify current hours and admission details on the official Burlington City Arts website or by calling the center before visiting.

### Accessibility and Inclusion

Venue descriptions from BCA and local partners emphasize:

– Accessible facilities and an elevator, making the multi-level gallery usable for visitors with mobility needs. Street Marketplace
– Kid-safe environment and family-friendly programming, including Family Arts Saturdays and youth classes. Street Marketplace
– Discounted space rental for non-profit organizations, which helps community groups use the Lorraine B. Good Room at the BCA Center for events, screenings, and talks. Street Marketplace
– Scholarships for classes and camps, which lower financial barriers to participation in arts education.

If you have specific accessibility needs (e.g., ASL interpretation, sensory considerations, or seating requirements), it’s worth contacting BCA in advance; the organization’s mission explicitly prioritizes making quality arts experiences accessible to a broad audience.

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## The Lorraine B. Good Room and Event Rentals

One under-appreciated aspect of the BCA Center is its event space:

– Lorraine B. Good Room: a 31′ x 27′ room with a capacity of about 90 people. Street Marketplace
– Equipped with a high-brightness projector, screen, Blu-ray player, Apple TV, wired and wireless microphones, sound system, and Wi-Fi. Street Marketplace
– Venue information notes that the space is accessible, kid-friendly, and includes chairs, tables, a kitchen, and PA system, making it suitable for community meetings, small conferences, film nights, or artist talks. Street Marketplace
– Non-profit organizations receive discounted rental rates, which encourages use by local community partners rather than only corporate events. Street Marketplace

For travelers organizing workshops, residencies, or small gatherings in Burlington, this can be a more characterful alternative to a generic hotel meeting room.

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## How to Experience the BCA Center on a Short Visit

If you have 30–60 minutes:

1. Walk through all open floors of the gallery to get a sense of the current exhibitions.
2. Spend time with labels and wall texts—the curatorial framing often connects local themes (Lake Champlain, Vermont landscapes, regional history) to wider global questions.
3. Step back outside to Church Street and view the building as part of the urban landscape: a 19th-century firehouse repurposed as a contemporary art venue.

If you have half a day or more:

– Pair your visit with another arts stop such as BCA Studios in the South End (check for public events or open studios) or other galleries in the Church Street area.
– Time your visit with a scheduled talk, film screening, or family art activity listed on the BCA events calendar.
– Spend the rest of your time exploring Church Street Marketplace and the nearby waterfront to understand how the arts, public space, and local economy tie together—very much in line with BCA’s city-planning mission.

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## Why the BCA Center Matters in Burlington’s Cultural Landscape

Burlington is often described as a small city with cultural infrastructure more typical of a larger metro area. Burlington City Arts plays a central role in that:

– It has operated for over 40 years, evolving from a local initiative into a recognized model for integrating arts with community impact across education, environment, civic dialogue, and the economy.
– The BCA Center and BCA Studios collectively make it possible to encounter contemporary art, learn new skills, and participate in city festivals without needing to leave Burlington.

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