Celebrating 20 Years!

By Michael J. Fiedorowicz, Executive Director

We celebrated twenty years of the art center last year. It started out as the Buchanan Art Center, Inc. with the conversion of the former Buchanan District Library building. A dedicated group of art teachers, artists and supporters worked together acquiring the building with the help of the City of Buchanan. Once they secured it, they remodeled it with new bathrooms, walls and filled it with new purpose.

The Buchanan Art Center was renamed the Roti Roti Art Center of Buchanan (RRAC) after a

generous donation from the Roti Roti family in 2022. A gift that still benefits us.

Others have also given major institutional support such as Tom and Nancy Fehlner (The Fehlner Family Gallery), Mary Ruth and Al White (Gift Shop), Marie Remington (Pottery Studio) and Kathryn Hess (Library).

Since then the RRAC has continued as a vital community art center.

Joining this project in 2025 was exciting for me. It was invigorating to become a part of a

beloved institution celebrating twenty years of hard work and success.

It was also exciting to meet the folks whose idea of an art center in Buchanan became a

community and regional project. A big idea attracts creative and passionate people, which

explains much of what the RRAC has become.

Founding President Mary Lister and I have worked together to fulfill plans with the board and committees. The board members and committees all contributed to the success of our branding, upgrade and planning projects.

The mission driven volunteers of the RRAC are quite extraordinary and make a huge difference in the vitality of the arts.

In addition to those projects, we introduced a new fundraising event, the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. April Jonatzke pursued it with the enthusiasm of a true theater kid, earning the RRAC $7,860.00!

Planning for the future is well-underway and will be built on the success of 2025. I am honored to help out.