Rochester Art Center

09/08/2026

Figure Drawing is back at Rochester Art Center! Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, these monthly sessions are a great opportunity to practice, observe, and create in a welcoming space.
September Dates
Traditional Figure Drawing | Tuesday, Sept. 15 | 6–8 PM
Costumed Figure Drawing | Wednesday, Sept. 16 | 6–8 PM
Ages 18+
$15 | Members & Mayo Clinic staff/students
$25 | General public
Space is limited and sessions often sell out, so advance registration is required!
👉 Register at https://www.rochesterartcenter.org/items/figure-drawing

09/03/2026

🚨 !THE CREATIVE STUDIO RETURNS SEPTEMBER 11TH! 🚨

Mark your calendars for the annual return of your favorite creation station!

Have a project your working on? We've got supplies!
Have a creative itch to scratch? We've got inspo!
Searching for a chill place to hangout? We've got vibes!

The Creative Studio is open Fridays & Saturdays from 11AM-3:30PM Starting September 11th, 2026. This program is free for members and $5 for non-members.

See you soon!

09/01/2026

The Rochester Art Center is one of the latest venues for the national SPARK! program for people with memory loss and their caregivers.

08/23/2026

NOW OPEN: "The Body Carries Everything | El Cuerpo Lo Lleva Todo"
We’re excited to welcome Graciela DeAnda to Rochester Art Center with her immersive exhibition exploring migration, memory, family, and belonging.
"The Body Carries Everything" asks what a person carries when crossing a border, not only what can fit inside a backpack, but the memories, fears, faith, responsibilities, relationships, and hopes that remain within the body long after a journey has ended.
Now on view through January 24, 2027. This exhibition is presented in partnership with MCAD’s Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies program. MFA at MCAD
Plan your visit to Rochester Art Center during open hours, Wednesday - Sunday, 11am - 4pm. Learn more: https://www.rochesterartcenter.org/exhibition/the-body-carries-everything
Graciela DeAnda, "Juan’s Backpack" Mixed Media Backpack, 2026
Photo courtesy of the artist

08/22/2026

We're honored to share that we've received a Award by Ovation TV & !

08/18/2026

Join us for a drop-in, free, Spotlight Tour with artists Ni-Ka Ford () and Marra Evans () at 1PM on Sunday, August 23.

Based in the UK, Marra Evans specializes in detail-oriented, precise medical illustration. Adopted from Guatemala, Marra feels her art, with its intricacies and bright colors, reflects her heritage. “Art is an important way to showcase the beauty, and sometimes tragic reality, of what’s in front of us – from facial expressions that joyfully capture a unique personality to those that reveal the deep despair of disease,” she says.

Based in Atlanta, Ni-ka Ford is a Board Certified Medical Illustrator and Founder of Enlight Visuals, a medical and scientific visualization studio specializing in accurate and inclusive visuals for healthcare materials and medical and scientific literature. Combining her artistic abilities with research in science and medicine, she creates compelling visuals for both expert and lay audiences.

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 1:00 pm

"Forms of Care: The Art of Representing the Body" is on view: Saturday, May 16, 2026 - January 31, 2027. Curators: Zoe Cinel () & LaVanda Mireles (.mireles.art).
Learn more at www.rochesterartcenter.org

08/17/2026

Thanks to Melinda Fischer from Rochester Local for sharing this year's Art4Trails sculptures! Check it out:

Discover Art4Trails, the volunteer initiative that's added 42 works of public art to Rochester's bike trails and parks since 2016. A decade of creativity in the community.

08/11/2026

LAST CHANCE to join a Peace Plaza Public Art Tour this summer!
Join us for a free, 45-minute tour featuring works by local and internationally renowned artists, including Charles E. Gagnon, Gwen Westerman, and Ann Hamilton.
Thursday, August 13 (Last tour of the season!)
1:00 PM, Meet outside Chateau Theatre
Free!
Come explore, learn something new, and see downtown Rochester from a different perspective. Bring a friend!
https://www.rochesterartcenter.org/items/drop-in-tours

08/10/2026

Across mediums, the repeated act of squeezing—hands pressing into fabric, knuckles whitening against flesh, the body contained and restrained—emerges as a central gesture. These actions embody quiet battles with self-criticism, trauma, and the cultural expectations placed on womxn to maintain composure. This solo exhibition by Amy Cannestra () dwells in contradiction, asking how spaces meant for rest can instead amplify cycles of self-judgment and exhaustion, and what it means to live within that tension.
"Liminal Dwelling" is currently on view at Rochester Art Center. Open hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Curated by Zoe Cinel. Learn more: https://www.rochesterartcenter.org/exhibition/liminal-dwelling
"Draining Basin" Amy Cannestra
Photo courtesy of the artist
ID: In a dark room, a bathroom sink on the floor and mirror on the wall are illuminated by a projection of light and video being cast from the inside shelving of the sink vanity. Light comes up through the sink drain, and an image of an eye in greens and peaches is surreally cast on the porcelain basin. Scenery from monitors stacked inside the shelves light up the open sink cabinet door. The mirror reflects the sink basin with the eye projection and light omitting from the open drain.