© Debra Stewart 1990
- Information & FAQs -
Rochester Art Collectors is a privately funded, independent, non-commercial group organized to promote collecting art.
- Definitions -
Art: Objects created with imagination and skill that express important ideas or feelings.
Collector: Anyone who owns or aspires to own one or more works of original art (created by someone other than yourself).
Collection: One or more works of art owned by the same individual or entity.
Greater Rochester Region: A 60-90 mile area of New York State around Rochester with a special emphasis on Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario and Wayne Counties.
Independent: Neither owned, organized nor controlled by any organization, group or commercial enterprise.
Non-commercial: Does not offer art for sale to members or to the public. Does not represent artists. Does not conduct or benefit from any commercial interests arising from this group.
Privately Funded: Funded by a private individual or individuals.
Collector: Anyone who owns or aspires to own one or more works of original art (created by someone other than yourself).
Collection: One or more works of art owned by the same individual or entity.
Greater Rochester Region: A 60-90 mile area of New York State around Rochester with a special emphasis on Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario and Wayne Counties.
Independent: Neither owned, organized nor controlled by any organization, group or commercial enterprise.
Non-commercial: Does not offer art for sale to members or to the public. Does not represent artists. Does not conduct or benefit from any commercial interests arising from this group.
Privately Funded: Funded by a private individual or individuals.
- Frequently Asked Questions -
Why does Rochester Art Collectors exist?
- To identify, cultivate, educate and support art collectors in the Greater Rochester region;
- To bring more visibility & prominence to art collecting;
- To promote best practices in collecting art;
- To partner & collaborate with galleries, arts organizations, artists, businesses and others to produce programming;
- To develop congenial and respectful personal and business relationships between art collectors and artists;
- To increase opportunities for collectors to purchase art;
- To support art galleries, art dealers and other businesses as well as non-profit organizations based in our region who wish to sell artwork;
- To enhance the quality of the art buying experience;
- To make a significant positive contribution to Rochester's arts & cultural ecosystem; and
- To have fun all along the way, of course!
What kinds of events and programs does Rochester Art Collectors produce?
- Events for art collectors to share work from their collections as well as ideas about enhancing/managing their collections with other collectors*;
- Group exhibition visits & special preview events;
- Public talks on topics related to collecting art*;
- Tours and talks around private art collections;
- Informal social events to foster closer ties between collectors;
- Partner with venues to include art from private collections into public exhibitions;
- Online list of links to venues in our region that exhibit and sell art;
- Online list of resources links for collectors' use;
- Promote art collecting on social media;
- Collector-Artist studio & collection tours, discussion groups and presentations;
- Opportunities for art collectors to present works (made by persons other than the collector submitting the work) from their collections to the public; and
- Regional road trips
* Rochester Art Collectors does not provide programming or support related to collecting art as an investment or for financial reward.
What's involved in joining Rochester Art Collectors?
- Membership is open to the the general public.
- Membership is free.
- We define an art collector as anyone who owns or aspires to own one or more works art (made by someone other than yourself).
- It doesn't matter how many works of art you own or how you acquired the works.
- Artists who own or aspire to own works of art made by other artists are both welcomed and encouraged to join and participate in Rochester Art Collectors.
- Membership in Rochester Art Collectors renews automatically. You do not need to take any action to renew your membership.
- Rochester Art Collectors will not share any personal information about you without your explicit permission in advance. Rochester Art Collectors commonly uses eventbrite.com to invite members and the public to it's programs. As a result, members' names and email addresses may be collected by eventbrite.com. Click here for information about eventbrite.com's privacy policies.
- To join Rochester Art Collectors CLICK HERE.
How do I CANCEL my membership in Rochester Art Collectors?
- If a member "unsubscribes" from Rochester Art Collectors' eventbrite.com event announcement list on the eventbrite.com site OR
- If a member requests removal by email (sent to inspire@rochesterartcollectors.org); OR
- If a member's email address bounces/changes and the member does not inform us of their new address, then the membership will be terminated.
What are the benefits of joining Rochester Art Collectors?
Here a few of the highlights:
- To participate in building a strong, vibrant arts scene;
- To broaden your exposure to artists and artwork;
- To meet other art enthusiasts and collectors;
- To build your art collection;
- To share works of art from your collection with others;
- To meet, interact with and support artists;
- To access to member-only information, services and content on this site;
- To receive invitations to Rochester Art Collector programs before the general public;
- To access to member-only events and activities such as tours of private art collections; previews of art exhibitions before they open; and
- To participate in important decisions about the group.
Can a non-member participate in Rochester Art Collectors programs?
- Yes, non-members may participate in nearly all Rochester Art Collector Programs. However, some programs are members-only.
- To learn about our events please CLICK HERE.
What sorts of topics are covered in programs that are "open to the public"?
- Our public programs tend to be general interest in nature*;
- We like to talk about topics related to the role of collecting art in the arts & cultural ecosystem;
- We also like to cover the history of the arts scene as that history relates to art collecting;
- A collector might talk about why collecting is meaningful to them; and
- Many other similar topics!
* Rochester Art Collectors does not provide programming related to collecting art as an investment or for financial reward.
What programs and activities are offered to members?
- Our member-only programs and events are designed to be more interactive, more specialized and more intimate than programs open to the public.*
- We offer members an opportunity to share a work from their collection with other members and the public
- We invite speakers to present our members with information on nuts-and-bolts topics like insurance, framing, storage, restoration, lighting, etc.
- We also invite speakers to present members with more detailed and nuanced aspects of various artistic techniques or media used to make art;
- Members occasionally gather to talk about current or upcoming exhibitions or venues.
- Other topics include commissioning an artist, buying at auction, conducting studio visits, etc; and
- Members are occasionally invited to tour of private collections. These tours tend to be very limited in size and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Every year we host a free, private, members-only party at an arts venue in our region.
* Rochester Art Collectors does not provide programming related to collecting art as an investment or for financial reward.
Why doesn't rochester art collectors cover the investment aspects of collecting art?
- We want to bring people together whose primary interest is in the love of owning original art.
- There are many resources in the public domain on the topic of art as an investment.
What type/style of art does Rochester Art Collectors recognize?
- All types/styles of artwork.
- All media.
- All time periods.
- All areas of the world.
- Our definition of "art": Objects created with imagination and skill that expresses important ideas or feelings.
- Objects reproduced (e.g., prints) with editions of less than 1,000 are preferred for inclusion. Open editions (editions without a defined limit) fall into a gray area. Generally, the group tends to be inclusive rather than exclusive.
- It doesn't matter how you acquired a particular work in your collection so long as the work was acquired legally and your title to the work is not subject to a legal dispute.
Does Rochester Art Collectors endorse particular artists?
- No.
- Rochester Art Collectors does not represent artists and does not sell art.
- Artwork shown on this site is not for sale. It is owned by collectors and intended to give visitors to the site a general impression.
Does Rochester Art Collectors endorse particular venues to purchase art?
- No.
- Venues to purchase art shown on this site are listed strictly as a resource to anyone interested in purchasing artwork.
- If you would like to suggest a venue for purchasing art in our region, please CLICK HERE and send us a note.
- For information about venues to purchase art please CLICK HERE.
Does Rochester Art Collectors have paid staff?
- No.
- Rochester Art Collectors is an all-volunteer group.
Are donations to rochester art collectors tax deductible?
- Rochester Art Collectors neither solicits nor accepts donations from anyone for any reason.
- Rochester Art Collectors is not a federally recognized 501C3.
- Rochester Art Collectors is not recognized by New York State as a non-profit entity.
- A contribution to Rochester Art Collectors would not be tax deductible as a charitable donation.
What is Rochester Art Collectors' privacy policy?
- Rochester Art Collectors will not share any personal information about you without your explicit permission in advance.
- Rochester Art Collectors will not share any personal information about you without your explicit permission in advance. Rochester Art Collectors commonly uses eventbrite.com to invite members and the public to it's programs. As a result, members' names and email addresses may be collected by eventbrite.com. Click here for information about eventbrite.com's privacy policies.
Are Artists eligible to join Rochester Art collectors?
- Yes!
- Artists who own or aspire to own works of art made by other artists are both welcomed and encouraged to join and participate in Rochester Art Collectors.
- Organizer -
- Advisers -
*Rochester Art Collectors does not provide programming or support related to collecting art as an investment or for financial reward.
