The Oxford Arts Alliance is at risk of losing its home at 38 South Third Street in downtown Oxford.

The building is soon being sold, and the Oxford Arts Alliance recently issued a plea for help—urgent help.

“Without swift community support to raise the funds necessary for [the building’s] purchase, the Alliance could lose more than just space — it could lose its role at the heart of Oxford’s cultural life,” the press release stated.

The Oxford Arts Alliance is launching an urgent campaign to secure its building and its future, and the community has a critical role to play.

Jennifer Kriesel, the executive director of the Oxford Arts Alliance, explained, “When University of the Arts closed, people said, ‘If only I had known, I would have donated.’ Well, now we do know. And this is our moment —together — to make sure we don’t look back with regret.”

The Oxford Arts Alliance outlined some of the positive contributions that it has made on the Oxford community since it was founded in 2008.

• Over 100 gallery exhibitions have given local and regional artists a platform to shine.

• More than 5,000 art and music lessons have nurtured creativity in students of all ages.

• Scholarships and sliding-scale tuition have made sure no student is turned away due to cost.

But the real story is told through the people it’s touched — a child who finds their voice through a paintbrush, a teen discovering the piano, a shy college student feeling seen for the first time at a gallery opening.

“The Oxford Arts Alliance has been instrumental in both of my daughters’ creative journeys,” said Shannon Boutilier-Hall, a parent of two Oxford Arts Alliance students. “It helped launch their confidence and their careers. This organization matters—deeply.”

That sentiment is echoed by community leaders.

“The Arts Alliance is more than a gallery—it’s an important part of Oxford’s identity,” said Leslie Sleesman, the interim executive director of Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. “It brings people together, promotes a creative community, and inspires future generations.”

The Oxford Arts Alliance has been a place where burgeoning artists have found a creative spark and a place where neighbors could gather to not just experience art, but to become part of it.

The Oxford Arts Alliance has been a leading center for arts education and community engagement, and has brought many visitors to downtown Oxford.

To preserve this vibrant creative space, the Oxford Arts Alliance must raise $250,000 in the coming months. “This is the immediate goal — to raise enough funding to secure the building,” the press release stated. “But the long-term vision is larger: with full community support, the Oxford Arts Alliance hopes to raise $625,000 to purchase the building outright and make essential repairs.

The Oxford Arts Alliance emphasized in its plea for help that, “This is more than a fundraiser. It’s a chance to preserve a home where creativity thrives and community grows. You’re not just helping save a building. You're preserving a place where the arts live and belong.”

Contributions to help save the Oxford Arts Alliance can be made online at www.oxfordart.org/donate, by phone at (610) 467-0301, or by mail at Oxford Arts Alliance, 38 S. Third Street, Oxford, PA 19363.

“We believe in the power of community,” said Kriesel. “If every person who has ever stepped through our doors gave just a little — we wouldn’t just save a building. We’d secure something much bigger: a future filled with music, creativity, and connection.”

The loss of the Oxford Arts Alliance would be devastating for the Oxford community.

The Oxford Arts Alliance’s plea is one that must be answered.