Arts Center of the Capital Region

The Arts Center of the Capital Region engages people in the creative experience. We are the region's preeminent proponent of the arts and creative education, expression, and appreciation, serving people of all ages, abilities, and economic and cultural backgrounds. The Arts Center of the Capital Region is a private, not-for-profit corporation that began life as the Rensselaer County Council for the Arts in 1962. In its early years, it was located in a brownstone mansion on Troy's Washington Park. Art classes were offered for the first time there in 1965, with the mansion, converted ballroom and formal dining rooms serving as an art gallery. Three decades later, The Arts Center bought 5 adjoining buildings on Monument Square in downtown Troy and renovated nearly 36,000 square feet into fully-accessible studio, exhibition, and performing arts space. It also changed its name to The Arts Center of the Capital Region, recognizing that its classes, exhibits, and programs serve 48,000 people a year drawn from an 11-county region surrounding Troy. Today, The Arts Center is proud to serve as a regional arts center, known for its wide range of high-quality classes for adults and children, arts camps for children and teens, highly acclaimed exhibitions and performances, and funding and technical support for arts organizations and artists.