Matt Wyatt was born in Rochester and he knows its reputation as a cultural destination on the Seacoast has been wanting.

“I just don’t give a damn,” he said. “I think everybody likes art. Everybody wants access to it. We’re providing something people have been waiting for.”

He opened Wyatt Art Studios in downtown Rochester on July 1, along with co-owner Mandie Haynes. They are focusing on creating enthusiasm for the work of emerging fine artists.

They intend to rotate exhibits every few weeks in conjunction with the soon to be reinstated monthly Art Stroll.

Wyatt is an abstract expressionist painter whose work was first shown at artstream and has since been included in exhibits in major cities. He uses part of the new space as a studio for his own work. “I needed a place to work that wasn’t my kitchen table,” he said.

Currently, Wyatt Art Studios is featuring a solo show by illustrator and painter Nate Twombly, “We are Simple Folk,” through July 28. The time intensive, highly involved drawings put forth quizzical commentary and sometimes comical narratives.

Upcoming exhibitors include photographers Amy Regan and Devin Swett, and painters Meghan Howland and Steven Dolan. An exhibit in October will feature the work of Susan Schwake, owner of artstream and one of Wyatt’s supporters.

The gallery encourages artists to bring their portfolios through an open door policy, Wyatt said. Some work ends up in a sort of bargain bin of affordable art.

“We are trying to find the most talented people we can find,” Wyatt said.

About 70 people attended the opening event and some of Twombly’s prints have already sold out, evidence of Rochester’s strong interest in art.

“Rochester is definitely becoming more of an art stop,” Wyatt said. “People are working to make it more of a destination town.”

The gallery space has been completely renovated, exposing a tin ceiling that has been painted white along with the walls. A back room includes a vintage velvet couch and the overall look is minimal and contemporary, but the atmosphere is laid back and approachable.

Wyatt and Haynes are also opening a satellite gallery at Fat Tony’s in Rochester to bring their artists to more venues. The next art reception at the gallery, on Thursday, July 28 from 6 to 8 p.m., will be followed by a grand opening of the satellite venue from 8 to 9 p.m.

Also in Rochester, the Portable Pantry recently held its first art reception since Ross Bachelder took over management of the café’s gallery. “He Drew, She Drew,” featuring crisp and comical images by professional cartoonists Stephanie Piro and Mike Lynch, will be on display throughout the month.

Susan Jackson-Rafter, the Portable Pantry’s owner and chef, had been inviting artists to display work for a couple of years but didn’t have the time or experience to maintain a professional level of exhibitions, she said.

Bachelder is the coordinator of the Kittery Art Association’s Seacoast Moderns and manager of the frame shop and Franklin Gallery at Ben Franklin Crafts.

“I’m fired up about whatever contribution I can make to help people see Rochester as a cultural destination,” he said. “Creative people are working to improve the downtown area.”

The café was crowded at the opening reception on July 8. A sign in the window reads, “We support the local arts in our café.”

The next show at the Portable Pantry will feature photographs by Karl Bye.

Rochester’s monthly Art Stroll event, similar to Portsmouth’s Art ’Round Town, is scheduled to return on Saturday, July 16, in conjunction with the opening of “Out of the South” at artstream studios from 5 to 7 p.m. The stroll will also include Wyatt Art Studios, the Portable Pantry, Dos Amigos Burritos, Fat Tony’s, and possibly others. Future Art Strolls will take place on the first Saturday of every month.

A group exhibition will be on display at artstream through Sept. 3. Meryl Truett of Savannah, Ga., brings her signature alternative process photographs on antique tin ceiling tiles, just like the ones at artstream. The show will also  include encaustic paintings by Tobia Makover, paintings by Dorothy Netherlands, fine woodworking by John Dodge Meyer, ceramic sculptures by Marilee Hall, and paintings by Polly Cook.

Wyatt Art Studios is at 87 North Main St. The Portable Pantry at 12 Hanson St., and artstream gallery is at 56 Main St., all in Rochester.