The Mechanicsburg Art Club (MAC) began July 13, 1954 by a group of people whose common interest in art brought them together. The goal of the club then, as it is now, was to develop and provide an outlet for the inherent talent within the community and to further the cultural development of its society. The Club provided the means for freedom of expression and growth to those who wished to seriously pursue art, as well as those searching only for an external interest to broaden their background.

At first, the newly formed Club met and studied in a church basement, then found a home in a building known in the Mechanicsburg area as the “Egg House” at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Strawberry Alley. It was called the Egg House because it was where farmers used to bring eggs to sell. The group was under the guidance of its first elected president, Mr. Harry Kirk. In 1961, the headquarters was moved to 117 North York Street, in what was once Stephenson’s Grocery Store.

In 1970, the Club filed for a charter with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The charter was granted that year. On Sunday, May 2, 1971, the members of MAC held a business meeting to vote on the proposal to purchase the old Grouse barn, a large white barn off of West Trindle Road, just two miles west of downtown Mechanicsburg. The motion passed, and the first classes were held in the Barn later that year. Dave Keefer was Board President at the time.

The Club offered classes, workshops, and exhibits, and members’ works were displayed at the Barn as well as at many other places in Southcentral Pennsylvania. Sometime in 1978 the Club became known as the Mechanicsburg Art Center. 

While today's Art Center barn is red and the membership has grown to artists of all ages, the shared interest in art that created The Mechanicsburg Art Club in 1954 has proven to be valuable to the local community today.