As both a service and presenting organization, CAC accomplishes this mission by stimulating public awareness of and support for the arts, preserving and celebrating the City's diverse cultural heritage, displaying art in public places, and developing opportunities to improve the overall aesthetic experience for residents and visitors of Cambridge.

All CAC initiatives are developed within two principal categories - Public Art and Community Art. Working through these programs, CAC provides core services and initiatives for constituents that include an award-winning Percent for Art program, the annual Cambridge River Festival, the CAC Grant Program, Summer in the City, an Exhibition Program and a lively Street Performer Program. Additionally, CAC incorporates a vibrant community input process that ensures that new and existing programming responds to the needs of the Cambridge community.