In this series, produced by Rochester Art Collectors, local art collectors open their private spaces to a small group of registered guests. The host collector offers an informal guided tour of their art collection. Each collector sets the best date, time, duration, maximum number of guests as well as other parameters of the program.

The overall feel of the program is informal and dress is casual. None of the works displayed are for sale. All of the works are owned by the collector(s).

The series was launched in 2021. This was the eighth program in the series.

"Total Immersion" tours are open to a limited number of Rochester Art Collectors members on a first-come basis. The exact address was only disclosed to the 20 confirmed attendees. This program, like every other offered by Rochester Art Collectors was free to attendees.

The group of confirmed participants were welcomed into a lovely late Victorian era private residence located in the City of Rochester. Guest were encouraged to casually walk through a unique art collection. Soon after the start time a guided tour that highlighted selected work from the collection was conducted.

In prior "Total Immersion" tours the host-collectors conducted each tour. In this case, our host invited several artists represented in the collection to talk about works owned by the collector and on display that day.

The artists who presented their works included Michael Powers Tarantelli, Annalisa Barron, Unique Fair, Ludmilla Begley, Richard Colon, Erica Bryant & Matt Vanderlee. A partial list of artists in the collection on display during the tour is listed at the bottom of this article.​

About the collector & the collection
​The collector has been acquiring art since living in New York City in the 1980s where the works reflected the collector's varied intellectual, aesthetic and cultural interests. After settling in Rochester the collector's discerning eye reoriented to include works created by notable artists from the region. More recently, a passionate & intense interest in the vision and ideas of underrepresented visual artists has dramatically deepened and expanded the range of this collection.

The collector enjoys commissioning new works. The most recently commissioned work - a truly remarkable portrait that recalls old master techniques and expressive qualities - will be on display. Honestly, even if we were only able to see this one new painting, the tour would be worth the time. There are numerous other works in the collection that are or the highest level and that have never been seen in a public exhibition.

   ​A second season of Rochester Art Collectors' social media fantasy art collecting game, Red Dot Challenge, is planned to begin late in the fall of 2024 and extend until early in 2025.

   The newest season of the game will follow the pilot that culminated with a big reveal event at Rochester Contemporary Art Center on February 1st of this year. Notable changes to the rules and guidelines from the pilot round are anticipated. None of the details for season two have been announced.

   If you would like to be a player in season two of Red Dot Challenge, please send a note to [email protected].

On July 27th Rochester Art Collectors partnered with RIT City Art Space and one of Rochester's most important art collectors, art curators and art influencers, Erich S. Lehman, owner of 1975 Gallery, to bring you a provocative talk centered on a large new exhibition titled "SKETCHY!"

​“SKETCHY!” was trip through the art and creativity of skateboarding, featuring a look back at over 25 years of Rochester skate photography, decades of skateboard graphics, and the fine art of the skateboarding world.

Located steps away from one of Rochester’s most iconic skatespots – Liberty Pole – “SKETCHY!” will run all Summer long and will feature extra programming throughout the run of the show.

​Program Details

7:00 pm - Attendees spent about 30 minutes before the program began walking through the large and exciting exhibition.

7:30 pm - Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors introduced John Aasp, Gallery Director, College of Art and Design at Rochester Institute of Technology talked about RIT City Art Space. Then Rome introduced the speaker, Erich S. Lehman.

Erich S. Lehman - curator of "SKETCHY!", owner of 1975 and art collector - talked about the exciting, large scale exhibition featured at RIT City Art Space, "SKETCHY!", his remarkable art collection and the collecting interests of his generation in a talk we're calling "SKETHCY!" Gen X Collects.

After the talk attendees had another opportunity to look through the exhibition.

This program was FREE and open to the public with registration in advance through eventbrite.com

Rochester Art Collectors collaborated with Rochester Institute of Technology, Shop One, The Print Club of Rochester and University Gallery (all located in close proximity on the RIT campus) to provide attendees with a unique combination of experiences and lots of opportunities to add to our art collections on June 29th this year.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Our group gathered at RIT's lovely art boutique, Shop One at 2:00 pm. Attendees had time to see a wide range of fine arts and crafts created by RIT students and alumni and say hello to friends.

At 2:30 pm Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors welcomed the group and introduced Shop One manager, Maddy Schoenfeld and Wendy Marks, Director F&A Galleries.

​Then Wendy led a 30 minute walking tour that highlighted many of the public art sculptures located on the RIT campus.

The walking tour ended at the University Gallery, host of The Print Club of Rochester's 93rd Annual Members Exhibition, where we were able to see dozens of works from Rochester's finest printmakers AND take advantage of The Print Club of Rochester's annual Print Fair & Sale!

On May 23rd Rochester Art Collectors collaborated with Oxford Gallery to present a provocative DIALOG:ART program during the Gallery's HUGE spring exhibition, "The Stuff of Dreams", featuring works of art created by 46 regional artists (listed below) in a wide range of styles. Oxford Gallery is Rochester's longest continuously operating commercial art gallery.

DIALOG:ART is an ongoing series of facilitated discussions initiated by Rochester Art Collectors in 2018.

​Each DIALOG:ART program examines a different topic of mutual interest to collectors and artists. The goal is to foster greater understanding and respect between those who purchase art and those who make art.

Program description

Starting at 6:00 pm attendees had a chance to walk through the exhibition, "The Stuff of Dreams".  and socialize.

After 30 minutes Rome Celli welcomed attendees and introduced Jim Hall, owner of Oxford Gallery. Jim talked about the history of Oxford Gallery and offered some background about The Stuff of Dreams.
From about 6:45 pm until about 7:30 pm Rome facilitated a group discussion about the price of art. Everyone who attended was encouraged to participate. 

Here are a handful of related topics we touched on:

• How is the price of art set?
• How do consumers, artists, collectors, gallerists think about & experience pricing?
• The price of art vs. the value of art.
• How does pricing influence the decision to sell or buy a work of art?
• Does the price of any particular work vary based on circumstances? Should it vary?
• Is it appropriate to negotiate over the price of art? How do you discuss pricing?
• How does pricing work when you commission an artist?

On April 19th Rochester Art Collectors partnered with Aaron Delehanty, River Campus Curator of Hartnett and Frontispace Galleries and Instructor in the Art and Art History Department of the University of Rochester to present a unique tour of THREE art venues on the University of Rochester river campus:

• Frontispace Gallery - 4 Herons: Seneca artists of the Genesee

Works by nationally and internationally noted artists: Ernest Smith, G. Peter Jemison, Kalen Fontenelle, Lauren “Goodie” Jimerson - Curated by Michael Galban, Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site.

• Hartnett Gallery - Studio Art Senior Exhibition

Culminating exhibition of new works by Dustin Paden

• Art & Music Library - Objects from the permanent collection + tour

Program Details & Schedule
At 5:30 pm we gathered inside the lobby area of the Library Road entrance (aka, the "back entrance") to the Rush Rhees Library and then walked over to our first stop, the Hartnett Gallery.

Attendees will be treated to a culminating senior exhibition of new works by Dustin Paden. After walking through the exhibition Aaron Delehanty gave a brief presentation on the background and purposes of the Hartnett Gallery.

The group will then took a very short walk to the Frontispace Gallery to see   "4 Herons: Seneca artists of the Genesee"  that included works by nationally and internationally noted artists: Ernest Smith, G. Peter Jemison, Kalen Fontenelle, Lauren “Goodie” Jimerson. The exhibition was curated by Michael Galban, Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site. (More information below.)
​
Mr. Galban, Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site and curator of the Seneca Art & Culture Center, talked about the artists and the works in the show. After hist talk the group took a quick tour of the UR Art & Music Library which is located at the back of the Frontispace Gallery.

Michael Galban's current research focuses on historic woodland arts, Indigenous/Colonial history, and lectures on the subject extensively. He sits on the board of directors of the Museum Association of New York (MANY), the editorial board of the New York History Journal, and is currently working in the Indigenous Working Group component of REV WAR 250th NY commission.

The video above was recorded by Mike Molaire at Frontispace at the University of Rochester on April 19, 2024

About the artists featured in "4 Herons: Seneca artists of the Genesee"

G. Peter Jemison (Seneca Heron Clan) b. 1945-present

​G. Peter Jemison, of the Heron Clan from the Cattaraugus Territory, Seneca Nation, is a multi-media artist and recently retired site manager of Ganondagan, a New York State Historic Site in Victor, New York. Jemison’s career spans over six decades across a wide swath of diverse accomplishments with a worldwide impact. Through his art, Jemison has explored a variety of topics, from creating political works that portray contemporary social commentary to those that reflect his relationship with the natural world.

Widely shown and collected, Jemison’s works are rooted in the framework of Native American art. Known for his naturalistic paintings and series of works done on brown paper bags, his art embodies Orenda, the traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) understanding that all aspects of creation contain a spiritual force. His paintings, videos, and mixed media works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. He is also an esteemed administrator, curator, editor, and writer. In 2004, he was elected Board Member at Large of the American Alliance of Museums (formerly the Association of Museums) and was the founding director of the American Indian Community House Gallery in New York City.

Jemison’s works are included in such significant collections as The Modern Museum of Art (MoMA); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The National Gallery, Washington D.C.; AKG (formerly, Albright Knox Gallery), Buffalo, NY; The Heard Museum, Phoenix; The Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Santa Fe; The Denver Art Museum, Denver; The British Museum, London, UK; and the Museum der Weltkultern, Frankfurt, Germany.

Ernest Smith (Seneca, Heron Clan) b. 1907- d. 1975

Born on October 28, 1907, in a log cabin on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation near Akron, NY Ernest Smith or Gao’yaih (from the middle of the sky) became a well-known Seneca artist. The youngest of seven children of Louise and Peter S. Smith, Ernest was educated at the Tonawanda Reservation School and in the Buffalo Public Schools. Although largely self-taught in art, he was influenced by his brother Kidd, an accomplished woodcarver and by the landscape artist Roy Mason of Batavia.

From 1935-1941, Ernest participated in the Indian Arts Project under the direction of Arthur C. Parker of the Rochester Museum. Over two hundred and forty in watercolor, tempera and oil were produced, depicting traditional life of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). In 1973, Ernest returned to the Rochester Museum to take part in a research project sponsored by the Anthropology Department of the State University of New York at Albany and the Rochester Museum & Science Center. At that time, he gave commentary on each of his paintings which were recorded. The resulting text was edited by William Fenton and Jeanette Collamer who also conducted the interviews.

Throughout his life Ernest continued to paint. His works can be found in the Smithsonian Institute and the United States Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board in Washington D.C.
Ernest dies in 1975 on the Tonawanda Reservation. His work have continued to be a source of inspiration to generations of Haudenosaunee people as well as anyone interested in the Haudenosaunee.

Lauren “Goodie” Jimerson (Seneca, Heron Clan) b. 1982-present

Goodie is a member of the Seneca Nation and grew up on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation located south of Buffalo, NY. Lauren Jimerson is a trained art therapist and fine artist who lives and works in the Rochester area and has spent the past 20 years raising her children and acclimating to her ancestral lands in the Rochester area.

Lauren began examining the complex subject of historical trauma while attending graduate school at Nazareth College. This was when she discovered that her life experiences served as a profound connection to the loss of cultural identity that took place throughout American history, more specifically the Boarding School Era. This provided the first step of many towards Lauren’s passage to self-discovery, resistance, reclamation, and self-acceptance. Lauren has presented at national conferences and universities about the pedagogy of historical trauma and resiliency and its effect on human development.

Lauren also examined the momentous role of food sovereignty while serving as the project manager at the Iroquois White Corn Project at Ganondagan State Historic Site in 2016. While holding this position, Lauren educated individuals and audiences on the history and significance of a local ancestral food staple as well as developed recipes and provided workshops.

Kalen Fontenelle (Seneca, Heron Clan) b. 1999-present

Kalen was born at Ganondagan nearby Victor, NY. He attended the Victor public schools and has started some college work at Monroe Community College. Kalen is currently working at the Seneca Art & Culture Center as a cultural and historical interpreter as well as working in marketing, social media, and manages the digital media components of the museum.
​
According to matrilineal custom, Kalen is Seneca from the Heron clan. His father is from the Zuňi pueblo and is from the parrot and coyote clans. Kalen’s work varies widely as he explores his artistic interests. He has worked in digital art, woodworking, and more recently leathercraft.

​Rochester Art Collectors partnered with Rochester Contemporary Arts Center to REVEAL a new fantasy art collecting game: the Red Dot Challenge on February 1st. 

This program was held during the Rochester Contemporary Arts Center's annual Members Exhibition.

It should be noted that Rochester Art Collectors had planned to launch a pilot of the Red Dot Challenge in the spring of 2020 but decided not to do so because of the pandemic. So, this program idea had been on hold for four years!

The Sitch:

• A small group of players were each given a fantasy budget of $10,000 to "buy" a fantasy art collection of at least seven works of art between December 1, 2023 and January 31st, 2024.
• On February 1, 2024 players REVEALED their choices and the inspiration behind their collections at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.

Details about the REVEAL event:

• Bleu Cease, Executive Director/Curator of Rochester Contemporary Arts Center, welcomed the group and kick off the fun.
• Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors will gave a brief background about game, highlight the rules and introduce Red Dot Challenge players.
• Then the players talked about their collections, what inspired them, any goals or themes for their collections and how they responded to the game itself.

The video above was recorded by Mike Molaire at Rochester Contemporary Arts Center on February 1, 2024

​The Players

• Susan Mandl & Seth Oser played as a team
• Elizabeth Forbes
• Matt Vanderlee

After the presentations a handful of people in the audience volunteered to participate in a "lightening round" of the Red Dot Challenge. 

The group of volunteer players had five minutes to each identify their own mini-collection by placing colored posted notes next to their choices. After making their choices each of the lighting round players talked about the works in their mini-collections and why they chose them.

Rochester Art Collectors anticipates a second round of the game later in 2024 or early in 2025.

If you would like to participate in a future round of the game, please write to [email protected]

In this series local art collectors open their private spaces to a small group of registered guests. The host collector offers an informal guided tour of their collection. Each collector sets the best date, time, duration, maximum number of guests as well as other parameters of the program.

​The series began in 2021. This is the seventh program in the series.

The exact address of this program in Rochester, New York was not disclosed to the public. Only registered guests received the address.

An informal tour of the collection was provided by our hosts. Questions & conversation in the context of the tour was be encouraged. A light, non-alcoholic beverage was be provided to attendees free of charge.

Due to strong interest in this tour the hosts offered two groups of ten people each the opportunity to see their art collection.

This was a "members only" program. All tickets were free of charge.

About the collection:

Our hosts' art collection is contained in a modest early 20th century two family home on the City of Rochester's eastside. The house sets on typical city lot at the end of a quiet, leafy street within walking distance of a park. The interior design is simple and neutral. There are few architectural flourishes to compete with the works on display. Large windows supply mostly indirect natural light.

These collectors (a couple married for nearly 30 years) have chosen to install a gallery-style hanging system so works may be moved in and out with some ease. Very often they will rotate out dozens of works at a time to accomodate an entirely new grouping inspired by a theme in their collection they would like to explore; as is the case with the arrangement attendees will see during the tour. More on the theme below.

The earliest works populating this collection were purchased nearly 40 years ago. All have been purchased on a tight budget. Works in the collection range from fairly traditional to more contemporary in style and approach. They tend to be small in scale. Nearly all were created after 1980 by artists associated with the Rochester region. Since the collectors have limited space only a small fraction can be displayed at any time. Works not on display are kept in a storage area using a simple DIY design. The storage design system allows them to see and access the works as well as move them in and out as needed.

What's most notable about this particular collection is how the collectors have adopted ideas & methods of experiencing works in their collection in ways more common to non-profit exhibition spaces. These collectors go to uncommon lengths to engage with the works they own and integrate them into their everyday lives.

A little bit about the art that was on display.

Attendees saw more than three dozen works of art created by women artists from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. (The collectors estimate that 75% or more of the works they own were made by women.) The main theme of the display, however, was one particular aspect of all the works shown. Within the main theme were subthemes that stimulated and provoked your the attendees aesthetic sensibilities. Many of the works were created within the last ten years including several by esteemed local muralists & a tattoo artist. Five of the works on display had not been seen in a public exhibition space for over 30 years.

Rochester Art Collectors collaborated with the Rochester Public Library to present a very special program featuring the 12th Annual International Juried Art Of The Book & Paper exhibition alongside a panel of experts at the Rundel Memorial Library.
​
The 12th Annual International Juried Art Of The Book & Paper exhibition included more than 100 works by artists from the Rochester region and all over the world!

6:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Exhibition/Social Mixer

Attendees had thirty minutes before the panel presentation to experience the 12th Annual International Juried Art Of The Book & Paper exhibition and socialize before the program begins.

7 :00 PM - 7:15 PM: Welcome & Presentation

Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors introduced Melissa Manczuk, librarian at the Rundel Memorial Library. Melissa talked briefly about the art department at the library and her role as a member of the Art of the Book & Paper 2023 Exhibits Team. Rome then introduced the panelists: Rachael Gootnick, Martha Schermerhorn & Scott McCarney and facilitated the panel presentation.

7 :15 PM - 8:00 PM: Panel Presentation & Discussion

Panelists talked about book arts in general and the 12th Annual International Juried Art Of The Book & Paper exhibition. In particular, Rachael Gootnick offerred insights into the judging process; Martha Shermerhorn talked about what the exhibition means to individual artists; and Scott McCarney talked about the book arts, altered books and paper sculpture landscape out in the world. All the panelists touched on their work and artistic practices. Q & A will followed the presentation.

The video above was recorded by Mike Molaire at the Rundel Memorial Library on January 3, 2024

​​8 :00 PM - 8:30 PM: After the panel attendees had another opportunity to walk through the exhibition. 

The Free Art Collective literally puts original works of art into hands, homes & hearts all over the world for FREE!

• This program is wonderful way to get started collecting art or expand your collection. You will feel the love and the joy that comes from making and sharing art.
• We're encouraging Rochester Art Collectors members and other local collectors to join the fun by sharing their love of art and telling the stories of how they got started and how art enriches their everyday life.

Program Details

Attendees had the first thirty minutes to experience a wonderful art exhibition and socialize before the program begins.

Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors welcomer attendees and introducef Kevin Indovino, Technical & Facilities Manager & Gallery Curator at MuCCC, who gave a brief background about MuCCC and the purpose of the gallery space at MuCCC. Then Rome introduced the guest speaker, Gabrielle Peck, founder of the Free Art Collective.

Gabrielle Peck, founder of the Free Art Collective, talked about her group's origins, revolutionary global mission and programs. New and emerging collectors in the audience talked about buying art from their point of view including any challenges. Experienced collectors in the audience spoke up be about their early days and first experiences buying art.

After the presentation Gabrielle and other members of the Free Art Collective gave away original works of art donated by artists from around the world.

About the Multi-use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC):

The MuCCC Theater, 142 Atlantic Avenue in Rochester, NY is a Multi-use Community Cultural Center (hence the acronym MuCCC). Founded in 2009 by arts entrepreneur Doug Rice, its mission is to provide a theater to performers who do not have a permanent space, to attract new audiences to theater, and to provide theater at a low cost to the public. The MuCCC particularly seeks out “other voices” in performance. The theater has a volunteer administration and relies upon rental fees and donations for its budget.

The 80 seat MuCCC has presented over 500 different shows in over 1500 performances since its origin. It is the primary home of The Rochester Community Players, Rochester’s oldest community theater group. RCP presents a Shakespeare play each year at the MuCCC, as well as an Irish Play. We have also been home to the Sankofa Festival, a festival of African-American performance for the last six years. We host seven African-American theater companies through The Bronze Collective Festival.panies.

Rochester Art Collectors was particularly delighted to collaborate with Main Street Arts to present a very special PREVIEW of the Main Street Arts annual exhibition, "Small Works 2023" and help us celebrate the coming holiday season together. We LOVE exhibition previews!!

• ​The exhibition included over 219 works of art by 204 artists from 29 states .

Many of the artists were based in the metropolitan Rochester, Finger Lakes and Western New York areas.

Program Details

The first thirty minutes of our program were devoted seeing the "Small Works 2023" exhibition and socializing before the program begins. Our host provided some simple nibbles and sips.

At about 11:30 am Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors welcomed attendees and introduced the Executive Director of Main Street Arts, Bradley Butler. Brad gave some background information about Main Street Arts, talk about Small Works both historically— this is the 10th annual after all! — and then specifically this year's show from submissions to installation. He also talked about the way he approaches curating and planning exhibitions.

Bradley Butler is an artist who makes atmospheric, abstract paintings. He has an MFA from Rochester Institute of Technology and is a native of the Finger Lakes region. Bradley has been with Main Street Arts before the renovations to the building were completed. He selects, curates, and hangs all of the exhibitions at Main Street Arts and is working to continually expand program offerings.
General Q & A will follow the presentation.

Guests enjoyed walking around the exhibition after the program presentation ended. 

About Main Street Arts:

​In the early 2010s, Main Street Arts founder Marjorie Morris thought a building that was up for sale on Main Street in Clifton Springs would make a perfect art gallery. She decided to purchase the building and converted it into Main Street Arts.

Main Street Arts opened its doors—initially as a commercial gallery—on June 19, 2013.
Over the next four and half years, the vision of the organization became larger and one that was more in line with that of a not-for-profit entity. An artist residency program was added to the gallery’s programming in the spring 2016.

In 2018, Main Street Arts officially became a nonprofit arts organization and continued to expand programming. The After School Art Experience was added to the organization’s programming in the fall of 2018.

In 2019, Anne Mancilla—vice president of the board of directors—gifted the contents of her bookstore, Explore The Bookstore to Main Street Arts. On November 30, 2019 the newly renovated bookstore reopened as Sulfur Books (located at 18 East Main Street).

​In early 2020, the artist residency program at Main Street Arts was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The studio space on the second floor was renovated and reimagined and in August of 2021, the Robert and Francie Marx Art Resource Library opened. The library contains over 1,500 books for visitors to browse during open gallery hours.

On October 15th Rochester Art Collectors collaborated with The Print Club of Rochester, The California Society of Printmakers, Colleen Buzzard and TWENTY artists to present a special event we're called "Dialog In Print: Extended"

We extended the "Dialog In Print" exhibition on exhibit in Colleen Buzzard's studio gallery to include a dialog about fine art prints from local collections like yours.

Attendees were encouraged to bring a fine art work from their collection to share with the group.

Artists featured in the exhibition: Carol Acquilano, Katherine Baca-Bielinis, Karen Baden Thapa, Erica Barajas, Chris Charles, Tarrant Clements, Maddie Corsaro, Lori A. Foster, Karen Gallagher Iverson, Rozanne Hermelyn Di Silvestro, Joanna Kidd, Paloma Nüñez-Regueiro, Barbara Poole, Daniel Rothenberg, Cassidy Skillman, Heather Swenson, Jami Taback, Ginger Tolonen, Monica Wiesblott, Joe Ziolkowski

After welcoming the group Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors introduced Colleen Buzzard. Colleen talked about how she has devotes a section of her studio o feature other artists.

Attendees who brought along fine prints from their personal collections shared stories about the works and how they fit into their collections.

Barbara McPhail and Katherine Baca-Bielinis from the Print Club of Rochester were on hand to supplement the dialog by describing the printmaking process associated with prints the collectors shared.

​Click here for more information about fine art prints.

This summer Rochester Art Collectors worked with the Memorial Art Gallery and Amanda Chestnut to present a very special guided tour of the 2023 Rochester Finger Lakes Exhibition at the Memorial Art Gallery.

Program Details & Schedule

Attendees had about 30 minutes to experience the 2023 Rochester Finger Lakes Exhibition before the tour began.

On Friday June 30th at 6:00 pm Rochester Art Collectors collaborated with the 9th Floor Artists Collective to highlight their space, their community, their philosophy, their goals and their accomplishments.

Members of the 9th Floor Artists Collective talked about the works of art they love from their personal art collections!

Program Details

Attendees had about thirty minutes to tour the 9th Floor Artists Collective space including all the individual artists' studios. When they did they experienced a diverse art exhibition that includes dozens of works in a variety of media created by members of 9th Floor Artists Collective.

Dan Waingarten, an active member of Rochester Art Collectors and notable local collector,  introduced Ya’qub Shabazz, Rashaad Parker and Najhay Halo who described the driving motivation behind the 9th Floor Artists Collective as well as its goals, philosophy, programs, success and more.

Members of the 9th Floor Artists Collective each presented works from their personal art collections and talked about why those works are important to them including how the works have influenced their own work and life.

About the 9th Floor Artists Collective

​The 9th Floor Artists Collective provides educational and inspirational resources for the Rochester community so that they can use their talents, hone their creative skills, and collaborate to enhance the cultural landscape of Rochester, NY. We are also an organization that expands the culture of artistic expression by combining wellness and creativity as a vehicle for finding peace and rejuvenated creativity.

In general, the 9th Floor Artists Collective serves as a hub for cross-cultural dialogue and accessibility to the visual arts by fostering the development of community-minded artists.

About The Founders

Ya’qub Shabazz was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Ya’qub Shabazz is a visual artist, collector, and art educator on a mission to highlight the beauty and contribution of Black American artists, both contemporary and historical.

Rashaad Parker is from Rochester, NY, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York College at Brockport in Communications and Afro-African American Studies. He has presented research on African American Male Cultural Identity at the University of Maryland and the University of Buffalo Colleges to challenge the stereotypical perceptions of African American men by mainstream media.

Najhay Halo was born in Rochester, New York. He describes his work as a fusion of contemporary and abstract urban art. Predominantly, his aim as a visual artist is to spread the Gospel/Ministry of God through his work. He paints his experiences examples such as trials & errors, outcomes and achievements; Visually bringing them to light, in hope to invoke the viewers spiritually. "Everyone wants to have a impact on the world , but there's so much more we do not see, I want to articulate what's unseen to the common eye artistically" - Halo

Click here to support the 9th Floor Artists Collective or scan the QR code below.

On June 1st Rochester Art Collectors teamed up with Kathrine Page and with the Arena Art Group to highlight their wonderful art exhibition on display in The Geisel Gallery at Legacy Tower.
​
As part of this program Kathrine Page spoke about her varied experiences in the art world with a special emphasis on her work in the world of air fairs.

Program Details

Attendees had thirty minutes before the program started to experience a wonderful art exhibition that included dozens of works created by members of Arena Art Group and socialize.

Rome Celli from Rochester Art Collectors welcomed attendees and introduced Margery Pearl-Gurnett who will give a brief background about Arena Art Group. Then Rome introduced the guest speaker, Kathrine Page.

Kathrine Page talked about her long and successful career in the arts with a special focus on her work at John William Gallery managing their art fair activities including both developing art collectors and how art is chosen and presented at art fairs.

She included information about how art fairs work from the point of view of art collectors and those interested in learning more about art.

About Kathrine Page

Kathrine currently currently serves as the curator and Project Director for John William Gallery out of her office/studio in upstate New York. The gallery is now located in Wilmington, Delaware at the historic Hercules building.

Between the years 2004 – 2011, Kathrine ran two galleries on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester, NY. In 2011, she moved to Corning, NY where she served as Gallery Manager for The Glass Menagerie Gallery. Soon thereafter, she opened her own gallery, Spencer Hill Gallery, a small commercial space where she represented 22 American artists. In 2014, she moved to Delaware where she joined the Board of Directors at The Delaware Contemporary, a non-profit contemporary art museum. In 2017, she began serving as the museum’s Gretchen Hupfel Curator of Contemporary Art. In the spring of 2020, Kathrine retired as the curator at The Delaware Contemporary.

​During her tenure at The Delaware Contemporary, Kathrine organized close to 46 exhibitions, including major feature shows such as Wendell Castle and Nancy Jurs’ Then and Now (2017); group exhibition The Figure: The Indicative and the Allusive (2019); Monique Rollins’ traveling exhibition, Eastern Poesia, in China (2019); Stan Smokler and Rick Rothrock’s Origins (2019); Peter Wayne Lewis’ Beijing Booster Paintings (2019); and a group exhibition of female photographers, Focal Points: Women Advancing the Aperture (2020).

Kathrine's experiences taught her the varied aspects of working in academia, the commercial sector, and the non-profit arena. Throughout her career, she's curated hundreds of exhibitions with artists all over the world.

About Arena Art Group

The mission of the Arena Art Group is to champion exploratory and abstract art, support the artistic growth of its members, and contribute to a robust art culture in the greater Rochester community by holding regular public exhibitions of its members’ works.
Arena’s 60+ artists work in a wide variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, digital art, and mixed media.

The Arena Art Group was founded as the "Arena Group" in 1951 by a group of artists who met at the former Arena Theater on Hoeltzer Street in Rochester, NY. Inspired by Abstract Expressionism and other art movements that had emerged after World War II, they wanted to try their hand at non-representational and abstract art. Their first exhibitions were held on the patio of the theater during intermissions, on easels made from railroad ties. Many years and many exhibitions later, the organization’s name was changed to the Arena Art Group. Since its founding, Arena has showcased the work of many of the region's most respected and accomplished artists.

Membership in the Arena Art Group is based solely on artistic qualifications and willingness to support the mission of the organization, without regard to such characteristics as race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability. We welcome those with diverse life experiences and heritages and commit to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all.

About The Geisel Gallery

The mission of The Geisel Gallery is to foster an environment for creative innovation for our many talented local artists, to provide an exciting venue where they can exhibit and sell their art, and to provide a high-quality source of visual art for visitors to the Gallery. Exhibitions are curated by Jean Geisel.