 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.  This is a partial list of works owned by the collector. At least one work by the artists listed below were on display on August 15th.
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 Copyright Debra Stewart 1990 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.  Copyright Chlovia Loomis 2022 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.  Copyright Emily Bellinger 2023 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. Even though Rochester Art Collectors has only been in existence for nine months our group has offered twenty-one programs with the help of seventeen partner organizations. All but two of the programs were free to attendees. "Lure Of The Local," a panel discussion developed in collaboration with the Memorial Art Gallery, and "Think globally. Create, experience and collect locally," done in partnership with Rochester Contemporary, both required an admission fee to those who were not already members of those institutions.
We don't have an exact count but we believe our programs exposed attendees to several hundred artists' works for sale over the course of 2018. Generally speaking we try to hold our events inside of galleries during group exhibitions so attendees can both see and purchase works of art as well as pick up a little education. Event attendees were informed on a wide array of topics at our events including understanding and collecting glass, ceramics, and photography to printmaking, and more. All but five of our programs were open to the public. Our five member-only programs in 2018 fell into two categories: "Collectors Circles" and "Collectors Previews". Members participating in a "Collector Circle" event may bring a piece of art from their collection created by someone other than themselves to talk about with the group. In addition, we have a guest speaker present information of interest to collectors. Usually we hold "Collectors Circle" events in a gallery during a group show. Members were also invited to three "Collectors Preview" events. Every so often we are able to gain access to exhibitions BEFORE the show is open to the public thereby providing members an opportunity to see and purchase works of art before the general public. Here's the list of program events held in 2018. The most recent events are shown at the top.
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.
On March 22nd Rochester Art Collectors held it's very first "Collectors Circle." This informal gathering was a chance for members to share ideas, pick up a few tips and meet other collectors.
Video provided by Rochester Art Collector member, Melissa Huang.
We met at Makers Gallery and Studio for two reasons:
First, it's a great space to pick up some art, but also because we asked the proprietor, Alex Gruttadaro to discuss his curatorial philosophy as a commercial gallery. With over thirty people in attendance, our round table format morphed into a larger collectors circle! Here's how the evening went:
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The artwork you see on this site is not for sale. It is owned by private collectors. Rochester Art Collectors neither sells art nor represents artists. Rochester Art Collectors is not owned, managed, or controlled by any outside business, organization or enterprise. Rochester Art Collectors does not endorse any particular style of art, any particular artist, nor any particular venue to purchase art.
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The artwork you see on this site is not for sale. It is owned by private collectors. Rochester Art Collectors neither sells art nor represents artists. Rochester Art Collectors is not owned, managed, or controlled by any outside business, organization or enterprise. Rochester Art Collectors does not endorse any particular style of art, any particular artist, nor any particular venue to purchase art.
No entity on our site has paid to be listed. All listings on this site are free. A listing on this site does not constitute an endorsement by Rochester Art Collectors. Rochester Art Collectors strives to accurately represent all listed entities. Rochester Art Collectors reserves the right to limit, arrange, categorize or describe a listed entity in any way that suits the interests of this group. Any entity listed on this site will be removed by request of the listed entity. Any listed entity may be removed from this site by Rochester Art Collectors for any reason.
Privacy Policy: 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.
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