OACC’s mission is to encourage our region’s vitality through artistic expression, cultural exchanges and community development inspired by the geography, ecology, cultural wisdom and talent that is abundantly and irreplaceably around us.

We create events and activities that are contemporary, local in context, and global in scope with the intention of providing participants experiences that help make sense of the world and give a focus for positive community engagement.

The OACC is a community-based, not-for-profit organization located in Carlton, Minnesota, serving Carlton County and its surrounding region. At its core, OACC is itself a work of art—an ongoing expression of the art of community and the art of connectedness. It exists to cultivate a shared creative life within the region, celebrating the beauty and complexity that emerge when people come together around common purpose and diverse perspectives.

OACC is founded on the belief that no single point of view can fully capture the truth or solve the challenges that face a community. True understanding, like true art, requires multiple perspectives—each one illuminating a different part of the whole. By embracing many voices, experiences, and ways of seeing, OACC seeks to reveal the depth and richness of community life that might otherwise remain unseen.

The organization’s work is guided by the conviction that creativity already lives powerfully within this region—within its landscapes, its stories, and its people. OACC’s role is to nurture and harness that existing creative energy, transforming the individual passions of community members into a collective creative force. Through this shared effort, OACC aims to make visible the inherent beauty of community itself: the courage to question, to listen, to collaborate, and to co-create.

Ultimately, OACC invites everyone to participate in an open-ended experiment in belonging and imagination—to let go of the notion of having all the answers and instead look outward, toward a broader, more diverse understanding of who we are and what we can make together. In doing so, OACC affirms that creativity is not only an artistic act, but also a communal one—an act of connection, discovery, and mutual flourishing.

To introduce and preserve the beauty, culture, and generous spirit of our region and provide a platform to connect with our community's events and people, OACC set out in January of this year to connect everything local.

Through a dynamic local directory, a comprehensive events calendar, a social engagement platform, a journal to chronicle our time together and collaborative creative projects and activities that express the beauty, warmth, and uniqueness of life in our region.