The 567 Center for Renewal opened its doors in downtown Macon in 2010. Since then, The 567 has grown into a space that offers unique programming for many different segments of our community. The heartbeat of The 567 is its art gallery, a creative space where anyone can try their hand at creating art, students and professional artists display their work, and entrepreneurs find resources to succeed. Every First Friday we host a new art exhibit in our gallery as part of downtown Macon's First Friday Art Crawl. Every week artists teach a range of beginner-friendly art classes including paint and sip classes, pottery, jewelry-making, and photography. We also offer private paint parties and other private classes for corporate groups and special occasions. In addition to classes, our pottery studio is a place for artists to create with our monthly studio membership. As part of our mission to bring creative life to downtown Macon, we also engage our community with public art initiatives. We installed legal graffiti walls downtown where graffiti artists can practice their art, helped the Downtown Community Association installing eye-catching sculptures through the Macon Sculpture Walk, and partnered with Startup Studios to create windowfront art exhibits in empty storefronts. The heart of what do is the arts because art is a powerful vehicle for growth. Arts events and experiences have the power to create jobs, attract tourism dollars, and give people a stronger connection to Macon.