Little Art Theatre of Yellow Springs Collection

The Little Art Theatre is among the most recognizable and beloved landmarks in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Well known for its commitment to diverse programming that includes first-run independent and foreign films, documentaries, cinema classics and special film events, the Little Art is part of the social fabric of the Yellow Springs community and the Miami Valley area. Established in 1929, it later became one of a network of small theatres that screened mainly foreign and independent films. It continues this legacy in 2016, and has added first-run features to its offerings. The Little Art became a nonprofit organization in 2009, and completed its first major renovation in 2013 bringing the theater into the digital age, while retaining its iconic houselights and beloved marquee. As “the best place to watch a movie, together” the Little Art Theatre provides experiences that entertain, inform, and inspire in an intimate hometown, single screen setting that cannot be replicated at the multiplexes. Additionally, the Little Art hosts community events, including a New Year’s Eve celebration and an annual thank you party for friends and partners of the Little Art. Other community collaborations include hosting area filmmaker’s or student film premieres and partnering with local nonprofits such as the Green Environmental Coalition, Tecumseh Land Trust, NAMI-YS, and WYSO to bring important documentaries to the screen. Its reach extends to the greater Miami Valley, including hosting screenings for the annual Dayton Jewish Film Festival and Wright State University Big Lens Film Festival.



In 1929, Dick and Mary Denison founded what was first called “The Little Theatre.” The theatre was integrated peacefully in 1942 when students from Antioch and nearby Wilberforce University staged a sit-in, which was planned with the help of Antioch faculty Jessie Treichler, Thomas Dowdell, and Herman Schnurer. The signature art deco murals mounted over the house lights in the mid 1940s were created by Antioch student Elizabeth Morss Graff. The theatre was purchased by the Art Theatre Guild of Scottsdale, Arizona, and became the Little Art Theatre in 1955. Ellen and Rod Hoover purchased the building in 1990. From 1987-1990 the Little Art was owned by Antioch College under the leadership of then college president Alan Guskin. From 1990 to 1997, the business was owned by Antioch College professor Jon Saari. After managing the Little Art for twenty years, Jenny Cowperthwaite purchased the business in 1998, and now serves as Executive Director. October 2009 marked a new era for the theatre, organizing as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation. In 2012 the Little Art Theatre Association launched a successful major capital campaign to upgrade and entirely remodel the theatre, adding digital projection and sound, full accessibility, new seats, improved sight lines, and a contemporary “industrial chic” lobby with an expanded concession stand.