WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER

The former location was limited on space for showcasing art, but the larger campus allows for more visual art displays with four galleries, in addition to five classrooms and a gift shop.

Guests will enjoy artwork in the four impressive galleries: H-E-B Gallery and McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery, which hold a variety of exhibitions, the Jeanie and Bill Wyatt Gallery, holding small-scale sculptures, and the Mendez Family Gallery, which is a permanent member artist exhibition area.

“Having four galleries allows us to showcase multiple exhibitions at a time while giving us the opportunity to focus more on the individual artists and their work,” said Elena Rodriguez, RCA’s curator of exhibitions.

The center also includes studios for art education including The Fernandes Family Studio, the Bill Hildebrand and Sam Williams Ceramic Studio, the Margaret Sue Rust Foundation Studio, the June Ainsworth Studio and the Bridgie and John Barrett Studio. Once they’ve browsed all the galleries and taken some classes, guests can then visit the John and Mary Willrodt Gift Shop filled with artists’ handmade jewelry, pottery, paper craft and fabric art works, perfect for gift giving.

Also located on the RCA campus is ROCC, an 8,000-square-foot meeting and event space with an artistic flair. The ROCC offers a variety of meeting space and amenities, including a ballroom, foyer and flexible catering and culinary arts education kitchen.

“Our new, modern facilities will allow us to take our art programs to amazing new levels while expanding our offerings to include the culinary and performing arts, meetings, conferences and special events,” said Purón.

Great things are on the horizon — not only for the RCA, but also for the Rockport art community. Anita Diebel, artist and owner of Anita Diebel Studio, has been involved with the RCA since the late ’70s, both as an artist and art director. She looks at how far the RCA has advanced and is excited to see the new artists, art patrons and art lovers that will flock to the area.

Visit RCA'S new campus during its hours of operation: Tuesday-Thursday, 10 AM-4 PM, FridaySaturday, 10 AM-5 PM, and Sunday, 12 PM-4 PM.

“It’s going to bring state-of-the-art exhibit space so we can have more exhibitions and bring in artists from out of town that inspire,” said Diebel. She is also looking forward to the many opportunities for youth, including the summer camps and internships.

“Explore. Discover. Express.” has long been Rockport Center for the Arts’ tagline, and with a new, history-making campus officially open to the public, art lovers near and far have an opportunity to embark on an exploration of discovery and expressionism in the heart of Rockport like never before.