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VisArts at Rockville in the Arts and Innovation Center
Arts and Crafts Shop, Galleries, Conference Space Planned for Downtown Rockville

The five-story, mixed-use building in Rockville Town Square, called the Arts and Innovation Center, was completed in 2007. The center, the home of the Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts at Rockville, a business incubator and street-level retail, is on the corner of the Town Square plaza and Gibbs Street, adjacent to the new Rockville Library.

The Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts at Rockville, which will be informally known as VisArts at Rockville (formerly Rockville Arts Place), is leasing from the City the second and third floors of the building. It also leases a small portion of space on the first level to create a museum quality retail galleria.

The retail store features original artwork and fine crafts from artists across the country, as well as objects and books related to the exhibits in three unique art galleries on the second floor. Those galleries feature national and international quality works, a community gallery for local and regional artists and a children’s gallery for hands-on discovery. The galleries are free and open to the public during normal business hours, evenings and weekends.

The second floor features artists’ studios, housing between 13 and 18 artists and a visiting artist who will create on site, give presentations and teach classes. Another highlight of the space is a 2,500-foot events room that includes an open area for lectures, meetings and a catering kitchen to support special events. The space also can accommodate small conferences with breakout rooms and the latest technology.

The third floor includes teaching studios for ceramics, glass, print making, wood turning, painting, drawing, photography and children’s art. There is also a digital lab for film and animation, a darkroom for black and white printing and administrative offices. VisArts will host a wide variety of interactive programs, classes and exhibits to interest people of all ages and backgrounds. It is gearing the building to be a “hub” for art in Montgomery County through both its offerings and partnerships with area arts organizations.

“There is a lot of glass in this building,” said Debra Moser, executive director of VisArts. “It is designed with the idea that the community can easily look in, and that the artists can easily look out into the community. We will create new connections for the people of Rockville and Montgomery County through unique hands-on art experiences and a wide-variety of learning opportunities.”

For more information, or to support VisArts, visit www.visartscenter.org or call 301-315-8200.