Rockingham County Arts Council

The Rockingham County Arts Council, organized in 1967, recognizes that all the arts -- from ballet to bluegrass, from painting to pottery -- belong to everyone. Your interest in the Arts Council helps make the arts available to every resident of Rockingham County -- enriching our lives, inspiring our children, attracting new businesses and people, and bringing our community closer together.

Your arts council touches many individuals each year through events such as the annual Rockingham County Folk Festival, held now in early September on the campus of Rockingham Community College and the operation of the Dan River Art Market Gift Shop. Also, early each fall, the Arts Council allocates approximately $12,000 in state funds, from the North Carolina Arts Council, to schools, churches and non-profit organizations in Rockingham County through the Grassroots Arts Program. The funded programs allow students and adults across the county to enjoy a broad spectrum of the arts.

Dan River Art Market

We also operate the Dan River Art Market Gift Shop in Wentworth. Here over 200 local artists and craftspeople display and sell their original art work and handcrafts, which include:

Our sign in front of the house		angels and santas grapevine wreaths baskets and quilts dried florals handcrafted jewelry original paintings pottery and windchimes handmade ornaments children's toys wooden folk art birdhouses & feeders walking sticks wall hangings photographs small furniture pieces painted handsaws mini woven chairs + more unique items		Hall display room (1 of 4)
Front display room (1 of 4)				Back display room (1 of 4)

The Dan River Art Market hours are: Monday through Friday (and Saturdays from mid November until the week before Christmas) from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are closed for holidays and during the months of January, February, July and August, reopening after Labor Day. The art market is located at 1122 NC Hwy 65 in Wentworth, North Carolina.

Please drop in for a visit!

The Dan River Art Market is supported by the Grassroots Arts Program, a state agency.

The Martin-Irving House

The front portion of the house was probably built in the 1850s. Before the Civil War, it was owned by attorneys John H. Dillard, Thomas Ruffin, Jr., and Thomas Settle, Jr. All three were later justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court and Settle was also U.S. Minister to Peru. The house was a hotel in the late 1800s. The rear wing was apparently added around 1900. The Martin and Irving families owned the property during the first half of the 20th century. The interior and exterior have been altered considerably from the original construction. It is now owned by Rockingham County.