We are very pleased to announce Mark Harrington has become the 300th member of Rochester Art Collectors!

   It seems Mark was destined to appreciate and collect art. At the age of eight, without his parents knowledge, he rode his bike ten blocks to a local grocery store and bought a small oil painting of ducks in flight with his allowance. He gave that painting to his Mom. She kept it on her desk until she passed. It now hangs in his study in Pittsford. That was just the beginning..

   During his early school years Mark's interest in art intensified and his activities expanded to include collecting. ​In high school Mark became friends with the daughter of the curator at the McNay Art Institute. While attending a exhibition at the McNay Mark was introduced to Lita Albuquerque, whose work is in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. Lita and her work made a lasting impression on Mark. Their friendship blossomed. While attending college in Austin Mark began collecting art with some regularity. He made a practice of visiting student art exhibitions, purchasing work that spoke to him along the way.

​   After business school while living in New York City in 1979 Mark became acquainted with Dorothy and Herb Vogel through Tom Armstrong, then curator of the Whitney Museum. The Vogels were two of the most remarkable people Mark had the pleasure of knowing. They were a fixture on the NYC art scene. ​The Vogels introduced Mark to important art dealers and taught him the ropes. Thanks to the Vogels he met Gracie Mansion at the opening of the first gallery exhibit of “graffiti art” created by Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat.

   During their lifetimes the Dorothy and Herb Vogel amassed over 4,000 minimalist and conceptual works along with a fair number of abstract expressionist works. They built their massive collection on modest civil servants’ salaries. Herb worked in the Post Office and Dorothy worked as a librarian. They lived in a small two-bedroom walkup on 86th Street in Manhattan.  Ultimately their collection was bequeathed to 50 different museums: 50 works to each of 50 museums in 50 states.

    Harrington says, "The Vogels taught me the importance of getting to know the artist and seeing their work  progress over time. Most importantly, they stressed that if a work moved me, and it was the first thing I saw in my mind when I woke up, go buy it on the spot." As with the Vogels, I never have and never will sell any piece I buy. Investment value is unimportant to me. What matters is how my heart and soul respond. Herb said he never wanted to build a collection, it just happened. He taught me to think of each piece as a friend that lived with me.

   When Mandi Antinucci became a member of Rochester Art Collectors on May 22nd she helped the group reach it's goal of 200 members more than one month ahead of it's June 30th goal. Not only that since she joined before June 30th Mandi will forever be known as a "Founding Member" of Rochester Art Collectors.

   Mandi is not only an avid art collector, she is an accomplished artist in her own right. Plus there's a history of art lovers in her family. Her grandfather, Robert Heaviside, collected extensively and served on the board of directors of the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York.

   Mandi's collection includes both contemporary works as well as works from the 19th and 20th century. Her collection hangs throughout her home in Geneseo. 

​   Mandi teaches art in the Batavia City School District while her husband, Rob Antonucci, teaches art in the Geneseo Central School District. Both are practicing artists as well as collectors and teachers.

   On Friday, May 11th Rochester Contemporary Art Center and Rochester Art Collectors will co-present a community discussion that directly addresses the place of regional art, artists and audiences in the global marketplace of ideas.
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​  The program will be held at RoCo during the Federico Solmi – The Good Samaritans exhibition that runs from April 6th through May 12th.

   The Good Samaritans is a solo exhibition comprised of several video installations by Italian artist Federico Solmi. His installations include different media such as video, drawings, mechanical sculptures and paintings. Solmi employs bright colors and a satirical aesthetic to portray a dystopian vision of our present-day society. The exhibition includes a new text about Solmi’s work by Larry Ossei-Mensah, an independent curator and cultural critic.

   Think globally. Create, experience and collect locally ​will be open to the public. The program will begin at 6:00 pm with a social/mixer and will run until about 7:30pm. 

Tickets for this program are $2/each but free for members of Rochester Contemporary Art Center and Rochester Art Collectors. Reservations are requested. Click here to get the details and your reserve your seat(s).

   Look for more collaboration between Rochester Art Collectors and Rochester Contemporary Art Center leading up to the massive 6x6 exhibition in June.

   Rochester Art Collectors announced today that the group will utilize social media outlets Instagram & Facebook to bring more attention to the art found in private collections in our community.

​   Collectors who use Instagram will be asked to periodically post an image of the art displayed in their home or office to those social media sites along with #ROCtheArt and @rochesterartcollectors. The images posted on Instagram and Facebook and marked with #ROCtheArt will be searchable on those sites.

   A curated selection of #ROCtheArt posts will be added to Rochester Art Collectors' website. If you type ROCtheArt.org into your browser you will go right to the page. You will also be able to find the #ROCtheArt page on RochesterArtCollectors.org's main menu.

   We want to be sure people who post images of their art collection also tag those images with the artists' names and @rochesterartcollectors so viewers will be able to see more of the artists' work and find the Rochester Art Collector's Instagram account.

Here's how it will work:
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Post a photo of art from your collection created by someone other than yourself to Instagram.
Add #ROCtheArt in the comments
Tag @rochesterartcollectors so people can find us
And tag each artist so people can find the artists and buy their work!

   The organizers of Rochester Art Collectors are devoting the month of April to reaching out to various constituencies in the arts community around Rochester including both artists and gallerists.  When a new organization comes on the scene people are naturally curious and they usually have lots of questions. Rochester Art Collectors is providing opportunities to learn about the group and figure out how to fit in.

   Rochester Art Collectors organizers, Sarah Webb and Rome Celli have invited commercial gallery owners, managers and directors in the area to a meeting that will consider issues of special interest to gallerists. All the invited galleries have high quality exhibition spaces; a knowledgeable staff and well curated exhibition schedules putting them at the professional forefront of the Rochester Art Market.

   Celli and Webb will present information about Rochester Art Collectors to the assembled gallerists and answer questions about the group before opening up a conversation about the state of the art market in our area and ways to grow that market.

   Rochester Art Collectors believes thriving commercial art galleries are an essential ingredient in a successful art marketplace.  A vibrant array of commercial galleries encourages and nourishes a diverse community of collectors. A diverse community of collectors in turn encourages and nourishes the artists who live and work in our midst. In addition, strong commercial galleries provide artists with opportunities to ascend to the next level in their careers.

   Rochester Art Collectors' outreach efforts won't end in April. They will be ongoing over the course of the next year or more.

​​   Thanks to Rick & Robin Muto, owners of Axom Gallery at 176 Anderson Avenue in Rochester, for providing the group with a congenial space to meet and talk.

   Rochester Art Collectors is collaborating with Susan Carmen-Duffy, owner of Create Art 4 Good at the Hungerford complex of buildings and artists, Richard Margolis and Colleen Buzzard, at Anderson Alley to inform local artists about Rochester Art Collectors, and and how it can be of service to them as makers.

   All presentations are open to the public and will cover the same material: an overview of Rochester Art Collectors’ mission, goals, future plans, and upcoming programs. We will review the www.rochesterartcollectors.org website, and be available to answer questions. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

​   SAVE THE DATE: On Thursday, April 26th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm WAYO 104.3 FM's Graphic Ear program will feature Rochester Art Collector co-organizer Rome Celli in the show's usual time slot.

​   Rome will share a little bit about his background and talk about his foray into fashion editorial photography and commercial fashion photography. He'll also introduce listeners to Rochester Art Collectors. As a special treat Rome will select some of his favorite tunes to play on the show. Questions from listeners for Rome may be sent by text during the show to 585-203-9296. So, tune in and send your questions!

Here are a few images from Rome Celli's photography portfolio:

​​   For approximately two and one-half years Graphic Ear, a one hour radio program on WAYO 104.3 FM hosted by local artist, Sabra Wood (a.k.a., Cat Clay) and supported at the control panel by Joey Palladino, has turned the microphone on Rochester's visual artists. The show airs every Thursday night at 6:00pm.

  Guest artists on the show are engaged by Wood in an extensive conversation about their background, their influences and, of course, their work.  Every so often they take a break from chatting to play one or two of the guest's favorite songs. The songs are often introduced with a brief description of why the music is important to the guest artist. Wood's questions are as insightful as the answers they provoke. She's always supportive of her subjects and yet she doesn't shy from tough questions. Listeners feel like they are being treated to a fly-on-the-wall experience listening to two friends talk about their favorite subjects. It's almost impossible to listen without feeling drawn in.

   Graphic Ear may well be the largest archive of recorded interviews with Rochester's visual artists in the known universe. More than 100 interviews with Rochester artists have been amassed and stored with the help of mixcloud.com. Collectors and other interested parties can listen to extensive conversations with artists at any time by visiting the Graphic Ear mixcloud .page and streaming to their heart's content..Users can save and "favorite" shows as they go along.

    The number of people helping to organize, manage and promote Rochester Art Collectors on a day-to-day basis has recently doubled to two. Sarah E. Webb joined Rome Celli as co-organizer effective March 5, 2018. She brings many rich and varied life experiences to her work with the organization.

   Sarah found out about Rochester Art Collectors from one of the organization's advisers, James Tabbi. She joined immediately after talking with Rome. Sarah has been supporting the group in the background ever since she joined.

   Sarah completed postgraduate work at Christie’s Education, London, before receiving her MFA from Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY. She has been a collector, an independent curator, educator, and artist for almost three decades. Sarah has been fortunate to travel extensively, most recently to Marfa, TX and experience the work of Donald Judd and his contemporaries on site. 

   The many stitches of Sarah’s life have taken her from the artist’s studio to the yoga studio where she continues to create and to practice. She weaves her critical, visual and perceptual background into a unique environment for students to map and make meaning of their individual body’s stories and experiences. Webb teaches, mentors and co-leads teacher trainings with Erica Ebert in Webster, NY.

   Sarah grew up in Fairport, NY. She graduated from Connecticut College, continued her study of Art History in London, before finally returning to Rochester to obtain her MFA from Visual Studies Workshop. She's been active in the arts for many years initially as an artist and curator, and then later on as a supporter, patron and, of course, collector.

​   Rochester Art Collectors relies on a  team of volunteers to operate. Over time Sarah & Rome expect to grow the team to four or five covering program, marketing, and all other administrative duties. There is no plan to hire staff.

   After just a few short weeks of reaching out to the Rochester community Rochester Art Collectors recently achieved a membership milestone when Morgan signed up on March 13th and became of our 100th member.

   Morgan found out about Rochester Art Collectors when she was tagged in a Facebook post on our page by a friend who knew she'd be interested in the group.

​    We asked Morgan to describe herself and this is what she wrote...

   ​Hi! I’m Morgan.  

   This picture collage pretty much sums up what I do and what I enjoy.

   ​I moved to Rochester about 11 years ago after traveling around Upstate NY, California and Delaware.  I have a degree in Art Therapy and Baking and Pastry Arts.  I currently find myself teaching bread production. When I'm not at work you can find me hiking in our local parks, taking waaaayy too many pictures, writing, creating, and generally having a good time…otherwise, I’m volunteering and trying to hone my sarcasm and wit.

   I think art is a constant companion in my life.  I don’t have one particular medium or genre that speaks to me.  I feel that art is mood altering and depending on the mood the artwork can speak to you in a myriad of ways.  From traveling, I’ve been fortunate to find that no matter the city or town I find myself in, there is beauty in one way, shape or form.  That beauty is at time found on city walls or quiet galleries. I look forward to seeing and speaking about our local art scene of which I could stand to know more about.  

   When I walk these cities streets I’m always grateful to have landed here in the city of Rochester.  Rochester is abundant with 4 necessities I require: Good People, Good Food/Cocktails, The Arts, and Good Parks.

   I am the proud owner of an ink painting by Jason Dorofy (@dorofyink & designbydorofy.com)  as well multiple ceramic pieces by Earl Jacobson, and copper fired artwork by Painting with Fire. I also own some of Linda Connor Cass' (@loudeesjewelry & etsy.com/shop/Loudees) work, some beautiful glass flowers from More Fire Studio (@morefireglassstudio & morefireglass.com) and I own a number of prints purchased at the Cornhill Arts Festival from Eric Dorris Designs (@ericdorrisdesigns & ericdorrisdesigns.com).

   On April 1st Rochester Art Collectors will officially launch. No fooling! February and March will be a period of testing, organizational development, preparation and gathrering momentum for the launch. Rochester Art Collectors is a privately funded, independent, non-commercial group organized to ​promote collecting the art created by artists from the metro Rochester region.

   The idea for Rochester Art Collectors was first discussed openly in the fall of 2017 around a table in Java's Cafe in downtown Rochester. Rome Celli, invited Bleu Cease, Derek Darling, Alex Gruttadaro and Shirley Dawson to talk about the idea of forming a group to promote local art collecting in Rochester. For nearly 90 minutes the assembled art aficionados bounced ideas around. From that conversation the nascent organization began to take on a misty shape.

   Throughout the balance of the fall and into the new year Rome met with many dozens of collectors, gallerists, artists, arts administrators, art educators, reporters, business people, and other interested parties. He developed a simple webiste (RochesrterArtCollectors.org) so that he could easily share the concept and the underlying philosophy with others. As new ideas came in he updated and revised the site to reflect an evolvoing notion of what could/should be accomplished. Eventually, the purpose of Rochester Art Collectors was expressed and basic goals established.

   Rochester Art Collectors wil host a series of fun socials for members and non-members. Larger public presentations at local venues will feature notable speakers on topics related to collecting. News and information about the local arts scene as it relates to collectors and collecting will be offerred on the website along with information and links to local venues to buy art as well as sources for researching local artists.

   Membership is free. Join before June 30, 2018 to become a "Founding Member." Members will be invited to more intmate gatherings where they can share work from their collection, hear speakers on more technical topics and share tips, tricks and trends with other members. Member-only artist studio visits and private tours of local collections will be offered. Members will have a opportunity to offer their opinions about group rograms, policies and other topics.

   Collaboration with other organizations and local businesses will also be a hallmark of the group's programming. So far Rochester Art Collectors' programs are in the works with the Rochester Brainery, Rochester Contemporary, Axom Gallery, Makers Gallery and others. Rome is scheduled to be interviewed on WAYO on February 27th and then again in April on two different programs.

   Keep an eye out for Rochester Art Collectors on social media like facebook and instagram. Later this year the group will sponsor "Collector's Eye." A series of local collectors will bring their vision of the arts to the group's social media outlets.

   Over the course of the next few weeks the group will announce its short term goals & programs for rest of 2018. In the meantime, be on the lookout for pre-launch events such as the first in a series of public presentations for new collectors at the Rochester Brainery on March 2nd (ten free tickets are on offer) and the first pre-launch social mixer at Brown Hound is planned for March 8th. A member-only event is scheduled for March 22 at Makers Gallery & Studio.

   Rochester Art Collectors will collaborate with Rochester Brainery on an series of five public presentations aimed at encouraging new collectors of local art. The series will be titled: "Living With Art". Each talk will focus on a different aspect of buying art created by local artists.

   The presentations will be scheduled on a bi-monthly basis on Fridays beginning on March 2nd from 6:00 pm until 7:00 pm and coordinated with the Rochester Brainery's First Fridays activities.  Future dates will be May 4th, July 6th, September 7th and November 2nd.  Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors invite a special guest collector/artist to co-present each topic. The $5.00/pp suggested donation for this presentation will be used to support art exhibitions at the Rochester Brainery.
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   Here's what we know so far about the presentation on March 2nd:

   A friend of Rochester Art Collectors  has agreed to underwrite up to 10 tickets to the first presentation. The first ten people who sign up using the link below or who sign up for the event on eventbrite.com will get in free!

                CLICK HERE TO CLAIM A FREE TICKET TO THE PRESENTATION ON MARCH 2, 2018