History of Dot Art

The Dorchester Community Center for the Visual Arts (Dot Art) was incorporated in 1998 when 16 local artists, teachers, and community activists came together to address the lack of affordable, quality art education in Dorchester.Dot Art was founded by Leslie MacWeeney, artist, teacher and parent who has lived in Dorchester since 1978. Formerly an associate professor of art education at Massachusetts College of Art, Leslie has more than thirty years experience teaching visual art to children and adults.

Trying to meet the need for art classes in the underserved neighborhood of Dorchester, she founded the Childrens Studio in 1990. This small program provided classes to 30 children per year.

In 1998, Leslie's vision of a comprehensive center for the visual arts inspired sixteen Dorchester residents (artists, teachers, local activists, and parents) to create and incorporate the Dorchester Community Center for the Visual Arts, which quickly became known as Dot Art.