River City Art Association was founded in August 2008 in Terre Haute, Indiana, by a group of seven artists with a common vision, promoting art in their Wabash River city in Vigo County and nearby Wabash Valley counties in Indiana and Illinois.
Founding members: Debi Martinez and her late husband Marty Martinez, Ruthann Brady, Kit Fisher, Adrianus Fraza, the late Monty “Indiana” Jones, and the late Rob Robbins.
THE LATE MARTY MARTINEZ
THE LATE MONTY JONES
THE LATE ROB ROBBINS
Mission statement: To establish and remain a non-profit organization open to the general public to promote, support, and enhance an appreciation of the visual arts in the Wabash Valley through art exhibits, demonstrations, seminars, study groups, and any and all other appropriate means.
History: Members met in the Raven Art Gallery owned by the Martinezes in the 800 block of Ohio Street near the arts corridor in downtown Terre Haute. The first year in existence the RCAA implemented a major project (Art on the Bash) to place members’ artwork in empty store front windows along Wabash Avenue! That same year they founded a youth mentoring program, conducted a free seminar for artists getting their art into galleries and began an educational program “Encouragement and Exposure” at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology where they interacted with students through talks, demonstrations and Fine Art exhibitions.
Co-founder and photographer Rob Robbins helped grow RCAA membership by promoting accomplishments by the group and its artists on the first RCAA website, which featured his photograph of the Wabash River in Fairbanks Park in the masthead and the first RCAA logo.
RCAA’s current logo design was introduced in March 2020. Design © Dian Der Ohanian Phillips.
The updated mark incorporates elements that represent a partial Terre Haute skyline, a winding Wabash River (which is so much a part of the Wabash Valley), and the green elements that represent the beautiful green spaces in the city of Terre Haute.
River City Art Association 