Rowayton Arts Center | Art Exhibits, Classes & Workshops in Norwalk CT

"Fascinator" Workshop
Join RAC and Shakespeare on the Sound to create imaginative headgear during a fun workshop on Friday, June 21.

About RAC

We are the only center for the arts in Norwalk and attract members from throughout Fairfield County and beyond.

For 50-plus years, the Rowayton Arts Center has been a welcoming cultural hub where people of all ages meet, interact and have fun with others who create, perform and appreciate the arts.

Our former firehouse overlooking the Five Mile River features a bright public gallery where members can show and sell their high-quality artwork during 10 exhibitions each year. Check out high-quality artwork by RAC exhibiting artist members.

In our comfortable Art School environment, children and adults, from beginners to pros, are encouraged to develop their creativity, style and skill.

We welcome groups, schools, curators, interior designers and architects for RAC Gallery tours by appointment.

Come visit, experience and enjoy!

"Art shouldn't be something that you go quietly into an art gallery and dip your forelock and say, 'I have to be very quiet, I'm in here amongst the art.' It's here, art's everywhere. It's how you use your eyes. It's about the enjoyment of visual things. And it's certainly not for any one group of people." Ken Done, Australian painter

RAC News

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS

Schedule & Prospectus
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"Paint Rowayton Plein Air Show" -- June 1-7
Judge Rosemary "Posey" Weber will select the winning artwork by adults and youngsters.
Click for registration
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Portside Gallery Show: "Seasons of the Norwalk Land Trust" -- June 9-30
Jurors Dennis Bradbury & Joe Fucigna will select paintings and photographs inspired by Norwalk Land Trust properties during different seasons of the year.
Click for Prospectus

New RAC Exhibiting Members

The Rowayton Arts Center announces the selection of five new exhibiting artist members who were juried in on May 17 from 16 applicants. They are photographer Lynne Byrrne (Darien), painter Donna Collins (Darien), photographer Silvia Doyle (Rowayton), sculptor/mixed media artist Adriana Rostovsky (Stamford) and painter Lois Weingarten (City Island, New York).

To become an exhibiting member, artists submit three works to be reviewed by the Artist Selection Committee, which meets three times a year – January, May and September. Artists who are selected for three RAC juried exhibits within a two-year period also are eligible for exhibiting member status. Exhibiting members may participate and sell art in all RAC exhibitions.

Special Events

Sunday, May 26
Art in Pinkney Park

RAC’s outdoor art display from 11:00 am-4:00 pm in Pinkney Park is one of the highlights of Rowayton’s annual Memorial Day celebration, which includes a parade from the Community Center to the Cannon on Rowayton Avenue. Everyone is invited to stroll among displays by Rowayton Arts Center artists, photographers and crafters and enjoy the current exhibit at the Rowayton Historical Society. RAC teachers will be on hand with free art activities for youth.

June 9, 2013
Free Reception: "Photography & Sculpture" Exhibit

Meet the artists during the opening reception for our “Photography & Sculpture” exhibition. Awards will be presented during the reception from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. This exhibition spotlights high-quality works by RAC exhibiting artists and continues through June 30. Admission is free.

June 9, 2013
Free Screening: Art21 - "Ecology"

How is our understanding of the natural world deeply cultural? The Art21 episode “Ecology” explores this question during profiles of artists at work and speaking in their own words. The free screening at 3:00 p.m. is followed by a free reception for the "Seasons of the Norwalk Land Trust" show in RAC's Portside Gallery. "Ecology" explores the work of Robert Adams, Mark Dion, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle and Ursula von Rydingsvard. Click for information about the artists, who are featured in this Art21, the Peabody-award winning series that airs on PBS.