Overview
Founded in 1987 as a grassroots organization, VisArts (Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts) is a non-profit contemporary visual arts center located in Rockville Town Square, Maryland. Spanning a 25,000-square-foot facility within the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the center houses four contemporary galleries, extensive art education classrooms, and dedicated studio spaces. VisArts provides a platform for emerging, mid-career, and established creators to experiment, develop new work, and engage directly with the public.
Objectives
VisArts aims to transform individuals and communities through the visual arts by creating an inclusive, vibrant, and accessible cultural ecosystem. The organization strives to break down traditional barriers to contemporary art, fostering cross-cultural understanding, creative expression, and intellectual curiosity. By offering fully supported studio residencies, mentorship, and educational programming, VisArts seeks to empower artists, nurture independent curators, and connect diverse public audiences through shared artistic experiences.
Programs / Opportunities
- Gibbs Street Artist Residency: A competitive 6-month studio residency for local, national, and international visual artists or collaborative teams, providing a free light-filled studio (with 24/7 access), a $3,000 USD stipend ($500/month), monthly professional development sessions, and a culminating solo exhibition in a contemporary gallery.
- Bresler Residency: A 4-month studio residency designed to support artists during intensive phases of creative research and project realization.
- Art + Social Justice Fellowship: A year-long fellowship providing studio space, stipends, mentorship, and resources for artists whose practices address structural inequities, community engagement, and social change.
- VisAbility Art Lab: A supported studio program tailored for neurodiverse artists and creators with disabilities, offering materials, studio access, and professional development to build exhibition-grade practices.
- Emerging Curator Program & Open Calls: A dedicated initiative supporting independent curators through mentored exhibition-making alongside rotating contemporary art exhibitions that change every 6 to 8 weeks.
- Art Education & Classes: Community workshops, intensives, and private instruction across ceramics, glass, fiber arts, digital arts, and mixed media.
Target Community
- Visual Artists & Collaborative Teams: Emerging, mid-career, and established local, national, and international visual artists working across all media.
- Neurodiverse Artists & Creators with Disabilities: Artists participating in the VisAbility Art Lab supported studio ecosystem.
- Independent Curators & Researchers: Emerging and practicing curators seeking exhibition-making mentorship and institutional support.
