1962     Rensselaer County Council for the Arts founded in Troy

1965     Acquires first home in historic brownstone on Troy's Washington Park

            First arts and crafts festival held in Washington Park

1978     Hires first director (Mark Schwabe) and expands visual arts program

            RCCA enters into partnership with Hudson Valley Community College

            to offer credit-bearing classes in craft mediums

1983     Raona Roy hired as chief executive

1984     Some 200 people take classes at the RCCA

            Arts Festival moves to Troy's Riverfront Park

1985     RCCA launches arts-in-education programming in area schools

            Folk Arts program established

1988     Festival expanded, attendance tops 20,000

1989     RCCA receives New York State Governor's Arts Award

1991     Enrollment in classes reaches 2,000, festival attendance hits 40,000

            Organization begins planning for growth and emerging regional identity

1992     Regional role grows as RCCA launches new 11-county grant program

            in coordination with the New York Foundation for the Arts and major,

            GE-funded arts-in-education program

1995     RCCA acquires five Victorian-era, mercantile buildings on Monument Square

            and begins $5.3 million project to convert them to a multi-arts center

            Raona Roy recognized as "Woman of Excellence" by Albany-Colonie Regional 

            Chamber of Commerce

1998     Raona Roy honored by the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations with  

            "Award for Advancing Cultural Development in New York State”

1999     Board formally recognizes regional role by changing the organization's

            name to The Arts Center of the Capital Region

2000     The Arts Center opens in January, with more than 5,000 attending festivities

            Named Not-for-profit of the Year by Capital District Business Review

            Raona Roy recognized as among "100 Women of Excellence"

            by Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce

2004     The Arts Center expands its re-grant program to serve organizations in Albany

            and Schenectady counties, in addition to Rensselaer County, following the demise of 
            The Albany-Schenectady League of Arts

            Arts-in-education programming reaches schools in six counties

2005     The Arts Center is designated one of the state's "Primary Organizations"

            by the New York State Council on the Arts