The Dillsboro Creative Arts Center (DCAC) turns a bad thing into lots of good ones. Located next to an old county landfill, it uses methane from the decomposing waste to generate energy. When methane is burned, it turns into carbon dioxide and oxygen.
The energy produced on campus heats furnaces for glassmaking, kilns for ceramics, and forges for blacksmithing. Gas for heating a glass furnace is typically the largest cost for glass artists, so the use of methane allows the park to offer affordable rent to artists seeking studio space. The Glass Studio is one of the only hot shops in the world that uses landfill methane gas as fuel. An Anagama Kiln, modeled on an ancient Japanese design, is fired with wood and waste vegetable oil as fuels and is available for public firings several times throughout the year. The Metals Shop features the first blacksmith forges and art foundry ever fired on landfill gas.
The 281 tons of methane that the park keeps from entering the atmosphere each year equal:
• Removing 916 vehicles off the road, or
• Planting 1,305 acres of forest, or
• Preventing the use of 11,104 barrels of oil, or
• Displacing the use of 521,870 gallons of gas.
Visitors to the DCAC can enjoy work made on the premises by multiple artists on display and for sale in the gallery. They can also tour the facility and see artists at work. The community studio is home to several artists, including glass artist Judy McManus, who has worked in the glass studio for nearly 10 years. Her work includes vessels, goblets, tumblers, bowls, and vases displaying swirls of color. Many of her items are on display and for sale.
An outdoor Sculpture Garden features work by the winners of the DCAC’s sculpture competitions, along with other pieces by local artists. Once a year, the Youth Arts Festival features 30 artists giving demos and hands-on experiences. At one of these festivals, young people were invited to paint the murals that decorate the outside of the building.
The facility began operating under the name Dillsboro Creative Arts Center in 2026. It was previously known as Jackson County Green Energy Park. The new name better reflects DCAC’s creative mission and separates it from the park’s name. The park now includes an animal shelter, a dog run and walking path, and several county amenities.
Wednesday – Friday, 10 am and 4 pm (except for the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas)
Tours should be scheduled in advance.
Classes require registration.
