About Us

MISSION

Rochester Art Center offers the opportunity for all people to understand and value the arts through innovative experiences with contemporary art. Through world-class exhibitions and programs, we present a welcoming, integrated, and diverse experience that encourages questioning, creativity, and critical thinking. These exhibitions and programs are designed to reflect the dynamic relationship between art and society. They educate, challenge, and connect individuals to our world in compelling new ways. We are committed to being a cultural center in our community and to enhancing our region as a destination for creativity and innovation. We provide value through engagement with broad communities, strong collaborations with other organizations, and a history of excellence.

VISION

To be a cultural center for innovation and creativity through contemporary art.

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

David Morris, President

Alessandra de la Puente, Vice President

Jon Zurn, Treasurer & Finance Chair

Sananda McCall, Secretary

Rose Anderson, Past President

Directors

Gaylia Borror

Brooke Burch

Cecilia Dingledy

Audrey Elegbede

Gerry Greaney

Heidi Howe

Simon Huelsbeck

Segun Kolade

Carson Romme

Brett Olson

Heather Wright

Pamela Caserta Hugdahl, Executive Director

Rochester Art Center: Our History

It starts as a dream

Rochester Art Center began in 1946 as a dream of its first board president Newton Holland. Seventy years later, 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.

Everyday Art for Everybody

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 first exhibition: Everyday Art for Everybody, held April, 1948 featured a display of well-designed, useful articles for the home.

Growing

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.

Inclusivity and Diversity

During the 1950’s, 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, 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 Rochester Art Center a national presence for the first time.