River Gallery School founders Barbara and Ric Campman.
Now celebrating 40 years, River Gallery School of Art has ground-floor studio space and invites the community in to pay a visit.
The school has offered high-quality arts education since 1976. Founders Barbara and Ric Campman developed their vision of nurturing creativity starting with children’s classes at the Ingenuity Shops. With a move to downtown at 127 Main St., they began offering classes to students of all ages. Now the school continues to grow at its expanded premises on two floors of the Wilder Building, 32-34-36 Main St.
Main Street Studio houses the printmaking department and offers area artists the chance to learn new processes and develop their skills. Classes in watercolor, bookmaking, mosaics, and other disciplines are also housed here.
RGS’s core faculty members are professional, working artists who teach a wide range of visual media including all types of painting, drawing, printmaking, and encaustics. RGS also partners with community organizations to offer classes to seniors and adults with physical and cognitive challenges.
Free workshops are offered for families, caregivers, and teachers in the new space.
RGS’s scholarship percentage is generous; the school’s policy is to enable everyone with a sincere interest to participate in classes.
To celebrate this 40-year milestone, a Birthday Bash/Pop-up Auction is planned on Sept. 17 at S.I.T./World Learning from 6-9p. Choice items, experiences, and trips will be on auction, and guests can enjoy refreshments, a cash bar, and dancing to the Butterfly Swing Band. Tickets are $25.
In March, RGS offered its art auction as a separate, wacky lottery event called Off The Wall. Organizers say plans for 2017’s art lottery are in the works.
For more information on River Gallery School of Art’s 40th Birthday Bash, visit rivergalleryschool.org.
