"Sing For Your Supper" by Riley Peterson. Mixed Media. $125 Currently on display at the Ypsi Fine Arts Club Online Gallery

Autumn has arrived, bringing a season of energy and possibility. Across Ypsilanti, creativity is flourishing in classrooms, libraries, and gathering spaces. At Riverside, we are launching something brand new: our first-ever RAC-A-Fair in partnership with EMU at the Oct. 25 football game, bringing art into the heart of a beloved tradition. We are also celebrating the preservation of arts funding in Michigan’s state budget, a powerful reminder of what happens when our community’s voices rise together. This fall, from festivals at the Ypsilanti District Library to student performances in our schools, inspiration is everywhere. Let us continue to show up for one another and for the power of the arts to bring us closer, stronger, and more connected.

- Elizabeth Warren, Executive Director

Afterschool Art Classes - Printmaking for Ages 13 - 18

During this six-week survey of various printmaking media, students will be exposed to four distinct forms of printmaking. From the comfort of a creative and supportive space, students will have the opportunity to explore self-expression by creating their own original pieces of art.

Class Details

Dates: 6-week course. Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 pm, October 21 – November 25, 2025,

Location: Off Center at Riverside Arts Center 

Age Range: 13-18 year-olds

Cost: $10 a student*

*Because of the Kiwanis Foundation’s investment in young artists, this six-week after-school art class that would regularly cost $135 is now available to all students for only $10!

RAC-A-Fair Presented by Riverside Arts Center & EMU Athletics

Riverside Arts Center is teaming up with Eastern Michigan University Athletics to present the first-ever RAC-A-Fair, a pop-up art fair during EMU’s home football game on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

We’ve selected eight unique vendors from an invited call, open to past participants in Riverside’s most anticipated event of the year, the Holiday Art Fair! Stop by to shop handmade jewelry, toys, 2D art and prints, pet accessories, and more! It’s going to be a spectacular A-Fair!

Event Details

Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025

Time: To be announced soon!

Location: Rynearson Stadium, EMU Campus. 799 N Hewitt Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Awakenings: Film, Feeling, and the Space Between

You Are Expansive invites you to a community screening of "The Infiltrators," a timely film documenting the journey of two immigrants as they infiltrate a for-profit detention center.

Event Details

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025

Time: 5 - 7pm

Location: Top Floor Main at Riverside Arts Center

About You Are Expansive

You Are Expansive creates supportive, creative spaces for self-exploration and personal growth within a connected community. Through a blend of expressive arts therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and reflective, experiential learning practices, we help individuals deepen their relationship with themselves and others. Our approach fosters emotional insight, resilience, and meaningful connection in ways that honor both individual experience and collective well-being.

Fiber Arts Drop-In Days

First Saturdays, from 10am-1pm. Studio 1.

Next drop in: November 1st.

Our new Fiber Arts Drop-In Days provide a relaxed environment for all fiber artists, novice to expert. Drop in with your quick questions, like how to thread your machine or how to sew on a button. Stick around and make with us!

Come hang out with fiber artists Lindsey Leyland and Kim DeBord every first Saturday of the month, from 10am-1pm.

Neurodiverse Artmaking Drop-In

Next meeting: October 27th. 6-8pm.

Gather with your local neurodiverse community and get creative. There will be a provided project, and general crafting materials will also be available. Optional: Feel free to bring snacks to share with a labeled ingredient list.

Neurodiverse Artmaking Drop-in meets every fourth Monday of the month, 6-8pm, Top Floor-Room B at Riverside Arts Center.

Exhibitions @ Riverside Arts Center

Michigan Water Color Society Traveling Exhibition

October 17 - November 14, 2025

Opening Reception October 17th 5-7

North Gallery at Riverside Arts Center

Open Hours: Fridays 4-6pm, Saturdays 11am-2pm.

The Michigan Water Color Society (MWCS) Traveling Exhibition features the top 30 pieces that received special awards from this year’s exhibition. The 78th Annual Exhibition features 60 works selected out of over 200 entries. The MWCS Traveling Exhibition has a long history of sharing awarded work from the annual exhibition across all of Michigan.

Announcing our newest online gallery! Riverisde's Ypsi Fine Arts Club Online Gallery!

We are excited to feature the work of 16 of our YFAC artists for this inaugural online exhibition.

Explore the new gallery now! Interested in owning something you see? The work can be purchased on the spot!

Explore the gallery now through December 31st.

Artist Opportunities @ Riverside Arts Center

Call for Art - Anything But... New Materials | 2025 - 2026 Season

Riverside Arts Center invites artists to submit work for Anything But…New Materials, the second installment in our annual “Anything But…” exhibition series. 

This exhibition will highlight works made primarily from recycled, reused, or repurposed materials, encouraging artists to step away from traditional, relied-upon art supplies and experiment with new ways of making. We’re looking for inventive approaches to working with familiar objects and work that shows how creativity can transform disparate materials into masterpieces!

Both 2D and 3D works are eligible.

NOTE: Artwork must be created with at least 75% recycled, reused, or repurposed materials. A limited amount of traditional supplies (adhesives, thread, paint, wire, etc.) may be used as supporting elements

Timeline

Call closes: 11/16/2025

Artist Notification: 11/21/2025

Drop off Dates: 12/1/2025

Opening Reception: 12/5/2025

Exhibition dates: 12/5/2025 – 1/9/2026

Pick Up Dates: 1/11 & 1/12/2026

Call for Solo Exhibitions - Eight Walls Gallery | 2025 - 2026 Season

Riverside Arts Center is piloting our newest gallery program: Eight Walls Gallery. This gallery is located in the Off Center, utilizing our new portable gallery walls. This program is designed to serve individual artists working in 2D mediums, by providing solo exhibition space for either one to two days or four to six week periods. 

Timeline:

Application Closes: November 1, 2025

Acceptance announcements: December 1, 2025

Exhibition Dates: TBD 2026

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