Expansion Plan Detailed by Rye Arts Center Head Levi

At the January 8, 2025 Rye City Council meeting, the Rye Arts Center (RAC) petitioned for a zoning change that will permit the local arts nonprofit to undergo a major campus expansion in the wake of its acquisition of the adjacent two acre property from a donor. The City Council is planning to invite the public to comment on the plan at its next meeting on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.

We spoke with RAC Executive Director Adam Levi about this transformative gift, where they are in the process, and the vision for an their expanded campus:

MyRye.com: The Rye Arts Center recently went before the Rye City Council and described a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop 25 Milton Road with a new arts center facility for the benefit of the entire community and immediately adjacent to the existing facility at 51 Milton Road”. At a high level, what’s the big picture opportunity with this expansion? 

Levi: The Rye Arts Center announces with immense gratitude the receipt of a transformative gift of property from longtime supporter, Robert R. Wiener, to expand its programming and create an arts and cultural hub for the Rye community. Robert Wiener’s generosity will allow The Rye Arts Center to continue to attract world-class musicians, artists, and teachers to share their work with our community.

This generous gift of property at 25 Milton Road is adjacent to the existing Rye Arts Center. It consists of 2 acres of green space that the RAC intends to create indoor space and outdoor gardens for its members and community. Here, visitors of all ages and backgrounds can come together to meet, create, and empower themselves through the arts.

One of the challenges the RAC faces is the constrained space in its current facility at 51 Milton Road. This expansion aims to create a new building, to sit alongside our existing one, with better-suited spaces for our many programs, bringing our members, students, and visitors the experience they deserve and expect.

Based on the current, early plans, how much increased space, and what type of programming do you imagine the new facility and updated campus would provide? 

Levi: The Rye Arts Center is refining its vision for this property and actively engaging with community members to ensure that it brings the same level of value and integrity to Rye that the RAC has brought to the area since 1960.

Some of the new spaces contemplated are: a modern painting studio with natural and control lighting, a new Gallery space that will present even higher quality exhibits, a “Teen Zone” that will host new technologies for modern arts – including podcasting, digital production, and virtual and mixed reality, and the welcome return of RyeTV, which will offer audio and video production services and classes for the Rye community.

What happened in 2020 and 2022 that created this opportunity?

Levi: In late 2020, when 25 Milton went on the market, our collective wheels began to spin. This “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity represented our one chance to add valuable space to our property, where students of all ages could experience the arts in an outdoor environment. Nature can play an important part in the art-making process, particularly in therapeutic arts, which we hope to bring to our community thanks to this additional space.

The property was eventually bought by RAC longtime supporter, Robert Wiener, and, in a tremendous show of support, gifted to The Rye Arts Center so that it could realize its dream for the community. Mr. Wiener’s support for the RAC dates back to the mid-1980’s, when he helped revitalize and repair the building at 51 Milton Road.

Bringing a project like this to fruition has multiple steps and milestones. Where is RAC in the process, what are some of the milestones, and how are you collecting input from residents and other groups?

Levi: We are fortunate to be in a community where the arts matter. In the early stages, we spent a lot of time speaking with artists, students, members and the Rye community about the idea of expansion, and, if we were to expand, where would we go? It quickly became apparent that our programs had outgrown our building, and that creating better, more suited spaces to accommodate our programs was important to our continued success. Through discussions with our neighbors we were provided with even more valuable insight into the community’s needs, helping to inform our path moving forward. We recently petitioned the City Council for a zoning text amendment to allow an arts center facility use at the property.

What terrific philanthropy to have the property donated to RAC. What type and scale of fundraising is ahead to bring this project to fruition?

Levi: We are in the early stages of fundraising and look forward to sharing more as the project progresses.

One endangered species in Rye is a parking spot. How do you currently imagine parking issues and opportunities, especially given the current and future campus is continuous with Rye Recreation’s Midland Avenue property.

Levi: We are working closely with the city of Rye and an engineering firm on a parking and traffic plan, along with drop-off/pickup zones, that will make traffic flow smooth and efficient. The proposed parking improvements will of course be subject to review, public comment and approval by the City of Rye Planning Commission at a later stage in the approval process.

The new 25 Milton Road facility has a designated wetland area toward the back of the property. Given interest in flood mitigation, native plant installation (such as the extensive one recently established at Rye Recreation) and any teaching opportunities, how are you thinking about the wetland feature of the property?

Levi: The Rye Arts Center intends to preserve as much green space on the property as possible. As this project moves forward our plan includes engaging a landscape architect to join our project team and develop a plan to enhance the green space. We also see the wetlands on the property as a great opportunity to engage our community through educational opportunities and programs.

We recently profiled you and the Rye Arts Center in our Giving Rye series that highlights all our local nonprofits. This is your 25th year at the RAC – what does this project mean to you? 

Levi: Thank you MyRye.com for the profile and also an opportunity to share our vision for The Rye Arts Center! In many ways, I feel like I grew up at The Rye Arts Center. It’s been with me through the many phases and stages of my life, and at its core, it aligns with my thinking; the arts, in all its forms, need to be accessible to all, with no boundaries. To be a part of creating a space that pushes this philosophy forward is a tremendous opportunity that I am very excited about.

Thanks Adam!

Learn more about the RAC project from its presentation at the January 8, 2025 City Council meeting: