Arts
Exhibits
Browse current and upcoming exhibits!
Programs
Artist Opportunities
Guilds
The Rocky Mount Arts Center is home to several non-profit educational organizations focusing on various arts and crafts.
Clay Studio
About Us
The Rocky Mount Arts Center developed from the initial efforts of area individuals who, in 1957, felt that the community needed a place to learn, practice, and exhibit art forms. This group attracted sufficient support to appoint a board of advisers to assist in the operation of a fledgling arts center. The project grew and attracted enough public attention that the City of Rocky Mount Director of Recreation offered her department’s assistance in the form of modest financial aid and later, a permanent home for the Arts Center.
The City purchased an abandoned Atlantic Coast Line Railroad water tank and pump house and an ingenious renovation program was begun. The water tank was converted to three floors housing a gallery, offices, theatre, and classroom space. The pump house was used as a studio for classes. Planned as a three-stage construction, the first floor was completed in 1963 and on May 25 of that year, the “tank” opened as a permanent home of the Rocky Mount Arts Center.
On a single day in September of 1999, the Arts Center’s four buildings were destroyed when the flood following Hurricane Floyd inundated 25% of Rocky Mount. After a temporary stay in other locations, these facilities are now located in the new Imperial Centre for the Arts & Sciences.
