RIT City Art Space joins Rochester’s Neighborhood of Play

City Art Space will move to its new location in September

Elizabeth Lamark

RIT’s City Art Space will continue to serve as a venue where the RIT and Rochester communities can create, collaborate, and share their work at its new location in Rochester’s Neighborhood of Play.

City Art Space, RIT’s only downtown venue for art, design, and creativity, is relocating to Rochester’s new Neighborhood of Play later this year. The gallery will close its current location for the summer to prepare for the move, and a reopening celebration at the new venue is planned for Sept. 5.

The new space, located at 30 Adventure Place, is steps away from the recently renovated Strong National Museum of Play, along with neighboring residences, restaurants, and live music venues.

Before the temporary summer closure, City Art Space invites the community to view the final four exhibitions hosted at the East Main Street location:

The MFA Thesis Exhibition for the Schools of Art and American Crafts, open from April 4 through April 19.
The BFA Senior Capstone Exhibition for Studio Arts, open from April 25 through May 10.
The Virtual Academy of Rochester exhibition, open from May 15 through May 18.
The Roc Paint Division – 10 Year Anniversary Show, open from May 22 through June 7.

After engaging the Rochester community for years in the downtown gallery space, Todd Jokl, dean of the College of Art and Design, looks forward to more opportunities to be further involved with the Rochester community in this new space.

“Our new location continues our commitment to the Rochester community and will serve as a lively, contemporary gallery exhibiting the art and design work produced by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as important artists from the art world at large,” said Jokl. “In addition to exhibitions, City Art Space will continue to serve as a venue for critical discussions and programs in the arts, and we are proud that these efforts will be visible and accessible to all.”

City Art Space’s new location is managed by Konar Properties. Tim Schmid, Konar Properties president, said City Art Space will be a “terrific attraction” for Neighborhood of Play residents, patrons, and visitors.

“VIDA and Konar Properties are thrilled to welcome RIT’s City Art Space to the Neighborhood of Play. Adding a venue that fosters community engagement in the arts is a perfect fit for the vibrant, dynamic setting we offer,” said Schmid. “Partnering with a premier educational institution like RIT is an incredible bonus.”

Operated by RIT’s College of Art and Design, the gallery hosts exhibitions, events, and educational programming year round, serving as a site for experiential learning for students, while remaining free and open to the public.

“It’s important that RIT has an off-campus venue like this,” said Gallery Director John Aasp. “It helps our students, faculty, and alumni mix and learn with local artists and creatives, gathering wider communities around them. As a result, we’ve brought together a variety of meaningful, personal, and collaborative projects over the years, and we plan to keep them coming at the new location.”

Go to the City Art Space Website for more information, or subscribe to the gallery’s newsletter for updates.