The African-American Heritage House (AAHH) an organization, informed by the African American Experience, committed to strengthening Chautauqua by encouraging and welcoming diversity, fostering honest conversations, and adding new voices to the programmatic mix. The AAHH is proud to bring quality programming with unique perspectives to the Chautauqua Institution. 

The Bird, Tree and Garden Club works to preserve, protect and promote the beauty and natural environment of the Chautauqua Institution grounds, including its habitats and ecosystems, through educational programs and projects.

The Chautauqua Dance Circle enables Chautauquans to support the Chautauqua Institution program of dance, provide scholarships to exceptional students and energize all enthusiasts of dance.

The Chautauqua Opera Guild serves as the advocacy group in support of the Chautauqua Opera Company. Over the last 50 years, the Guild has spearheaded many initiatives to enrich Chautauqua Opera, the Chautauqua and Western New York communities, and our young artists and audiences. Join us as we continue to build on Chautauqua Opera’s legacy and elevate its place in the Chautauqua mix!

Membership in the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra League is an acknowledgement of the preeminent role that our professional orchestra plays in the Chautauqua community. Members benefit from opportunities to engage personally with CSO musicians at special CSOL events held throughout the summer.

Chautauqua was a social and cultural phenomenon that permeated rural North America until the mid-1920s. Today only a handful of Chautauqua communities survive.

Founded in 1889, Chautauqua Women’s Club is known as the “heartbeat of Chautauqua.” Our doors are open to anyone looking to foster life-long friendships and give back to this special community. CWC sponsors the Contemporary Issues Forum lectures at the Hall of Philosophy Saturdays at 3 p.m. and has provided more than $1.8 million in scholarships for students in the schools of performing and visual arts. We offer opportunities to connect through events and programming year-round.

The purpose of Chautauqua Dialogues is to foster and advance the ideal of a “beloved community” by providing a forum in which people of diverse backgrounds can bring their political, religious, cultural, and social beliefs, experiences and knowledge to conversations that matter.

The Alumni Association of the CLSC was incorporated in 1893 to provide an organization that encourages CLSC graduates to continue reading and study. It conducts programs including Brown Bag luncheon/book reviews and Eventide programs. It is also the parent organization for the graduated classes. Many of these classes are active for several decades or more.

The CPOA is an independent volunteer organization whose mission is to enhance the Chautauqua experience, quality of life, and sense of community of Chautauqua Property Owners. This is achieved through community events, communication facilitation, and advocacy on major issues of concern for CPOA members. Through a popular, interactive communications platform, CPOA members have access to information and networks that benefit Institution residents throughout the year. The CPOAs Board of Directors includes officers and area representatives, who live in designated sections on the grounds and provide a personal contact for owners. If you would like to get in touch with the CPOA or your area representative please email cpoarepresentative@gmail.com or go to the CPOA website for more information.

In addition to Department of Religion programs, Denominational Houses and religious organizations at Chautauqua Institution offer religious services, lectures, and low-cost housing options during the nine-week summer assembly season.

Friends of Chautauqua Theater was founded in 1994, to ensure that theater remains a powerful pillar of the arts community at Chautauqua.

Our overarching mission and purpose are: 

• to support Chautauqua Theater Company and enhance the experience of the artists who visit Chautauqua 
• to connect CTC artists with the broader Chautauqua community, and to connect Chautauqua theater-lovers with each other 
• to ensure that theater remains a vibrant pillar of the arts at Chautauqua

Friends of the Chautauqua Writers’ Center is a volunteer network of writers and readers who work year-round in support of Chautauqua Literary Arts. During the nine-week summer program, the Friends provide support to the Chautauqua Writers’ Center, sponsor weekly opportunities for writers to present their work and meet other writers and readers, and organize contests and other special events.

Friends of CVA is an all-volunteer membership organization with a mission to promote awareness, education, appreciation and excellence in the visual arts at Chautauqua Institution. Friends of CVA events support the Strohl and Fowler-Kellogg Art Centers, the Melvin Johnson Sculpture Garden, and the Chautauqua School of Art Residency Programs. 

Over the course of the summer season, Friends of CVA hosts events for its members and for the general public. These have traditionally included art fairs, lectures, exhibition openings, and fundraising activities. Please join us and take advantage of all that Chautauqua has to offer in the area of visual arts. 

The LGBTQ+ and Friends Group at Chautauqua Institution aims to expand diversity within the Chautauqua Institution community by creating a sense of welcome and shared community for LGBTQ+ people and by educating family, friends, allies, teachers, pastors and others, through dialogue, about the LGBTQ+ community and their experience. The LGBTQ+ and Friends organization places a very high value on not just tolerating, but welcoming diversity, understanding that the diversity of the human experience enriches all of us and expands each of us.