The Mission of the Rochester Art Center is to foster an appreciation and understanding of contemporary art through: the organization and presentation of exhibitions and the creation of innovative educational programs and interpretive materials that effectively engage regional audiences with contemporary art.

Our vision is to become a premier center for contemporary art.

History:
The Rochester Art Center began in 1946 as a dream of its first board president Newton Holland. Fifty-eight years later, the Rochester Art Center continues to offer patrons the opportunity to know, practice and enjoy the arts. The founding board members wanted “to join with the schools, the churches, the library and other community groups to make Rochester a cultural center worthy of its scientific achievement,” as stated in Art Center’s original mission statement.

Its first humble home began in the unused upstairs rooms of the Rochester public library building, moving in 1948 to a small abandoned church on the corner of West Center Street and Third Avenue Northwest. Holland, Dr. Hiram Essex and other art patrons led a fund drive that enabled the purchase of the church and lease of the lot on which it stood. Their fund drive provided the monies to build a balcony, loft, furnace and toilet. Their first exhibition: “Everyday Art for Everybody,” held April, 1948 featured a display of well-designed, useful articles for the home.

However, the RAC board realized by the mid-1950’s that the little church was too small to accommodate all the art center’s many activities, including classes, exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations, meetings, and even the first rehearsals and founding meeting of the Rochester Civic Theatre.

The board of directors requested public land in Mayo Park from the City of Rochester and the City Council granted their request. On November 15, 1956, the Rochester Art Center leased land along the Zumbro River for 50 years for the sum of one dollar per year. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred on September 1, 1957, followed by a fund drive to build a new art center. The new building opened March 23, 1958.

During the 1950’s the Rochester Art Center included exhibitions that featured local, regional, national and international art, such as the 1959 touring exhibition of Israeli Art, traveling under the auspices of Jerusalem Art Center in New York. Through the years, the Rochester Art Center continued to feature the varied work of many artists from different ethnic backgrounds, including exhibits of Hispanic, Asian, and African American artists. One of the Art Center’s major exhibitions was a bead working exhibition “Pure Vision: American Bead Artists” in 1994. It was the first exhibition that traveled to other major art centers across the nation, giving the Rochester Art Center a national presence for the first time.

In the late 1990s, the expansion of the Mayo Civic Center severely decreased access to the Art Center, making it imperative to move. The Board of Directors launched a Capital Campaign in 1999, which reached the goal of $8.2 million in 2003. The Art Center moved into its new 36,000 square-foot facility in spring of 2004.

Contact person: Katie Schmitt, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (507) 282-7737

Address:

40 Civic Center Dr SE Rochester, MN 55904 This location is handicap accessible (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.rochesterartcenter.org

Directions:

From Highway 52: Take the Second Street SW exit, head east. Proceed on Second Street until it comes to a T intersection at Civic Center Drive. The Art Center is directly in front of you, accessible via the circle drive of. . . (more)