On Tuesday, October 23rd at 6:30 pm we held our second "Collectors Circle" program. This one was held at Oxford Gallery.  It was just as successful at the first one, held earlier in the year at Makers Gallery. 

The Collectors Circle program is open only to members and seating is limited to just 30 people. We like to gather in an exhibition space during a current show. Typically a special guest speaker is invited to present on a topic of interest to member-participants.

   The first 30 minutes of the program are are social . Members take some time to look at the work on exhibit; grab a bite and a sip while chatting with one another. Before too long we gather in a large circle. Each collector presents an original work of art from their collection to the group. Usually we hear a little background about the work and how the collector came to own it. Sometimes we hear why it's important to the owner's collection or why it's important to the collector or both.

   This time around we heard stories about works of art saved by relatives who were refugees fleeing Nazi's during the World War II era and later given to the collector. At one point the lights were dimmed so that we could all experience the luminescence of an Op-Art piece from the 80s. An early 20th century landscape was presented along with details about the painter and it's importance to the collector. We even saw a bronze casting of a disposable cup lid from a show in 2016; As you can tell there was a wide range of work!

  After the collectors presented their works of art we turned the floor over to Oxford Gallery owner, Jim Hall. He talked about the long history of Oxford Gallery. Established in the 1960s Oxford is the longest continuously running commercial gallery in Rochester. Jim and his wife, Ginny, have owned the gallery for 25 years. Oxford represents over 40 artist and exhibits their works on consignment - usually organized around exhibition themes - throughout the year. In addition, Jim is an active art dealer specializing in 19th century works. He closed his talk with a traditional definition of art collecting that prompted a lively discussion.  The group broke up around 8:30 pm.

  The next Collectors Circle will be held early in 2019. Details will be announced sometime after January 1, 2019.

   Rochester Art Collectors and the Memorial Art Gallery collaborated for several months on a program that took place last night at the MAG: "Lure Of The Local."  ​ The panel discussed the local/regional art market; characteristics and trends found in our area; and the resources available to collectors interested in buying art made in and around Rochester. 

​   Panelists included: Roslyn Baskt Goldman, a longstanding art adviser and art appraiser; Jessica Marten, Curator in Charge/Curator of American Art at the Memorial Art Gallery; Alex Gruttadaro, owner of Makers Gallery and working artist; and Rome Celli, representing Rochester Art Collectors. This was the second presentation in The Collecting Series at the Memorial Art Gallery. 

   Rochester Art Collectors is pleased to team up with The Print Club of Rochester and the Bevier Gallery at RIT for a fun event around prints and printmaking all in the context of the Print Club's annual juried exhibition, The presentation is titled: "A Primer On Printmaking: Understanding & Collecting Fine Art Prints"

   This presentation is ideal for someone who wants to learn the basics of printmaking from a collector's point of view and wants to see a wide ranging exhibition of fine art prints as well.

​   Location: Bevier Gallery
   James E. Booth Hall 7A
   73 Lomb Memorial Drive
   Rochester, New York, 14623
   Visitor parking available in lots E and F (Map below.)

   6:00pm until 6:30pm - Fun Social Mixer! Hang out in the wonderful Bevier Gallery at RIT. Take in The Print Club of Rochester's annual juried exhibition of fine art prints made by artists from around the region and around the world: "Political Impressions."  Work in this show will be for sale. Details about the show are below.

   6:30pm until 7:30pm - Here's what you will learn from the presentation:

• A listing and description of the various types of printmaking processes
• A descrtption of how prints are made using the various techniques
• Tips and tricks when buying/collecting prints

   Presenters:  Elizabeth Durand and Barb McPhail

   This event is free and open to the public.  There will be a special reserved seating section for those members of Rochester Art Collectors and The Print Club of Rochester who register for this event in advance.

                          CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT AT THIS PRESENTATION

   Looking to printmaking’s long history as a vehicle for contentious dialog, Political Impressions will add another chapter in the tradition of artists such as William Hogarth, Thomas Nast, and Jean-Jacques Grandville who taught us ways to say what could not be said. This juried exhibition invites participants to examine current social and political issues through the use of symbolism and satire, wit and whimsy while avoiding anything too “on the nose.” Open to all printmaking methods and political persuasions this exhibition will be a diverse, playful, and thought-provoking experience of laughing through the tears in our turbulent world.

   Juror: Miranda K. Metcalf is the Director of Contemporary Prints and Drawings at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, WA. Davidson Galleries maintains the largest inventory of fine, original prints in the Northwest. In addition to holding of nearly 20,000 prints and works on paper ranging from the 15th to the 21st century, they hang new exhibits every month.

   Awards: Best in Show: $300, 2 Jurors Choice Awards: $100

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Thank yous...

​   Thanks to our presenters! Thanks as well to the Gallery Coordinator, Shane Durgee, and the staff at the Bevier Gallery. And, of course, thanks to the board of Directors of The Rochester Print Club and, in particular, Melissa Huang, who was the Rochester Print Club liaison with Rochester Art Collectors.

   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.