The mission of the Roti Roti Art Center of Buchanan (RRAC) is to provide a place in our community dedicated to nurturing the arts.
RRAC provides a quality educational experience for all ages, as well as gallery exhibits, sales opportunities, and a gift shop that are supportive of class offerings and local artists, thereby enabling the Center to creatively enlist the power of the arts in promoting social change.
The Buchanan Art Center, dba the Roti Roti Art Center of Buchanan, is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, which relies on community support through memberships, donations, sponsorships and program participation. RRAC is not supported by government or tax-payer funds.
A special thanks to all of the volunteers who have supported RRAC throughout the years by sharing their time, talent and vision.
History In 2004 a group of volunteer citizens formed the Buchanan Art Center (BAC), with the goal of nurturing the arts in our community. The City of Buchanan allowed BAC to lease the beautiful Prairie Style building, once home to the Buchanan Public Library, and transferred ownership after the BAC demonstrated sustainability for the first five years.
The Art Center is home to the Marie Remington Pottery Studio; the Hess Library Gallery features an impressive collection of art-related books; and the Fehlner Family Gallery which hosts up to eight exhibits annually and showcases performances, concerts and speakers. The Mary Ruth and Al White Gift Shop, is devoted to selling local and regional artists’ handmade creations. The Art Studio, is a versatile space used for classes in a variety of mediums, for all ages and skill levels.
The BAC took on the assumed name, Roti Roti Art Center of Buchanan (RRAC) in 2021, after the Roti Roti family made a generous contribution to the RRAC endowment fund, in honor of mother, teacher, and artist, Shirley Roti Roti. In 2023 the main gallery was renamed, the Fehlner Family Gallery, when Thomas P Fehlner made a substantial gift to the RRAC endowment, held at the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation.
Several outdoor sculptures by Dr Fil Inocencio are on display in the beautiful gardens designed by Yvonne G Shaw. The Giraffe, reaching toward the tree on the front lawn, has become an icon in the community. Dr Fil is a self-taught, practical welder who after retirement transitioned his skills into creating sculptures using discarded metal, aligning with his passion for environmental conservation.
Board of Directors
- David Ball, President
- Mary Ankrapp, Vice President
- Edward Tapia, Treasurer
- Phyllis Russell, Secretary
- Alice Kring, Director
- Mary Lister, Director
- Karin Falkenstein, Director
- Krista Parin, Director
- Diane Pike, Director
Thank you to these former Board Members, whose terms ended in 2023, for sharing their time, talents and wisdom: Marie Remington, Nana Maher, Sue Glossinger, Roxanne Gunter, Valari Regan, Molly Muchow and Marjorie Trapp. We are grateful that each of them continues to serve on committees and in leadership roles.