The date of this post indicates the most recent date this fantasy art collection has been updated.
Each player must identify at least seven works between November 1, 2024 & January 31, 2025.​

After three very busy weeks of gameplay Week #9 (Tuesday, December 24th through Monday, December 30th) was quiet. It's not surprising since Week #9 fell within the Christmas-New Years period of time. Players can be forgiven for focusing other matters, right?!

Just one player posted works to their fantasy art collection this past week.

Here's the breakdown from Week #2:

• Player #7 added two works valued at $625.00 to Fantasy Art Collection #7.

​CLICK HERE to take a look at each of the players fantasy art collections to get a sense of what sorts of works the players identified.

​CLICK HERE to see a complete list of the Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players. 

Friday, January 3rd is the first First Friday* of 2025. This will be the third and final First Friday during gameplay. Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 ends on January 31, 2025. Over a dozen venues will host events on Friday, January 3rd. All will be open to the public.

Larger exhibitions that will be open to the public on January 3rd include: Rochester Contemporary Art Center's "34th Annual Members Exhibition"; The Yards Collective "Members Exhibition"; Image City's "The Magic Of Light 2025" Exhibition; Anderson Arts Studios "Open Studios"; Hart Gallery 27's "Happy Birthday Baby!" exhibition; and Studio 402's "Self Portrait" exhibition. In all, over 600 works of art will on exhibit until the various exhibitions close one-by-one; usually within 30 days or so.
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*If you don't already know, the first Friday night of each month is a big deal in the Rochester arts scene. Many art venues hold special exhibition events (read: parties!) on the first Friday of every month. It's so popular that Rochester Contemporary Arts Center (RoCo) hosts a special page on their website to share information about events scheduled on "First Fridays": FirstFridayRochester.org

​Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is a program of Rochester Art Collectors.
​
Participating in Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is FREE and open to the public. None of the players are paying to play or receiving any compensation. The program is privately funded and entirely non-commercial. Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is not a fundraiser of any kind for any organization.

​The works of art chosen by Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players for their fantasy art collections are not being purchased with real money. Red Dot Challenge is a FANTASY art collecting GAME. Players are having fun PRETENDING to buy/collect the art and modeling art collecting behaviors.

In all instances the artists retain the copyright for their work as well as all other rights and privileges provided by the law.

If you are interested in purchasing a work of art you've seen during Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 gameplay, please inquire at the venue where the work is exhibited.​​

Week #8 (Tuesday, December 17th through Monday, December 23rd) saw another very strong week of gameplay. It was the second most active week of Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 so far.

Four players added a total of twelve items to their fantasy art collections over the past week. The value of items players identified for their fantasy art collections totaled $5,150. 10 of 12 players have added 68 works valued at $29,745 to their fantasy art collections since gameplay began on November 1st.

Here's the breakdown from Week #8:

• Player #3 added one works valued at $150 to Fantasy Art Collection #3.
• Player #5 added five works valued at $1,750 to Fantasy Art Collection #5.
• Player #7 added five works valued at $950 to Fantasy Art Collection #7.
• Player #10 added one work valued at $945 to Fantasy Art Collection #10.

As you scroll through the numbers and graphs below take a close look at those players who have met or exceeded the minimum collecting requirements of Red Dot Challenge, Season 1.  Then consider each of the player's collecting strategies. Some have opted for a higher number of works while others a higher value for each work. How would you approach collecting art: more works or higher valued work?

​CLICK HERE to take a look at each of the players fantasy art collections to get a sense of what sorts of works the players identified.

​CLICK HERE to see a complete list of the Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players. 

The date of this post indicates the most recent date this fantasy art collection has been updated.
Each player must identify at least seven works between November 1, 2024 & January 31, 2025.​

Player #5 has been allocated a fantasy art budget of $5,000 to identify at least seven works of art for their fantasy art collection (Fantasy Art Collection #5).

Each player's fantasy art collection page is updated every week on "Red Dot Mondays" (if they have posted additions to their fantasy art collections in the week prior). Players have until January 31, 2025 at 11:59 pm to complete their fantasy art collections.

​Followers are encouraged to comment on this particular fantasy art collection at the bottom of this post this or go to the Fantasy Art Collection #5 album on Facebook HERE.  (Click here to see ALL the fantasy art collections on Facebook.)
​
Click here to find all the Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 fantasy art collections on this site.

Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is a program of Rochester Art Collectors.
​
Participating in Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is FREE and open to the public. None of the players are paying to play or receiving any compensation. The program is privately funded and entirely non-commercial. Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is not a fundraiser of any kind for any organization.

​The works of art chosen by Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players for their fantasy art collections are not being purchased with real money. Red Dot Challenge is a FANTASY art collecting GAME. Players are having fun PRETENDING to buy/collect the art and modeling art collecting behaviors.

In all instances the artists retain the copyright for their work as well as all other rights and privileges provided by the law.

If you are interested in purchasing a work of art you've seen during Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 gameplay, please inquire at the venue where the work is exhibited.​​​

Week #7 (Tuesday, December 10th through Monday, December 16th) is just about the halfway point in Red Dot Challenge, Season 1. There are seven more weeks to go until the end of gameplay on January 31, 2025.

As you read this post and scroll through the various fantasy art collections keep in mind players must identify AT LEAST seven works of art for each of their fantasy art collections before the end of gameplay on January 31, 2025. The players are permitted to include more than seven so long as they stay within their respective fantasy art budgets.

We had another burst of gameplay this past week. Five of the players added a total of thirteen items to their fantasy art collections. The value of items players identified totaled $5,250. Since gameplay began on November 1st 10 of 12 players have added 59 works valued at $24,595 to their fantasy art collections.​

Here's the breakdown from Week #7:

• Player #1 added three works valued at $235 to Fantasy Art Collection #1.
• Player #2 added one work valued at $40 to Fantasy Art Collection #2.
• Player #3 added two works valued at $125 to Fantasy Art Collection #3.
• Player #9 added six works valued at $4,450 to Fantasy Art Collection #9.
• Player #10 added one work valued at $400 to Fantasy Art Collection #10.

Most of the players are acquiring works at a pace well ahead of schedule with six out of twelve players having already identified at least five items at the halfway point of gameplay. Player #5 has clocked in with 13 items in their fantasy art collection leaving plenty of fantasy dollars to spare. Player #9 has completed the minimum requirement of seven items and they, too, have fantasy dollars still in hand. Player #12 is posting at pace with the gameplay calendar. Four items have been identified since the beginning of gameplay. Player #11 has only identified two works. Players #6 & #8, on the other hand, are holding back. Neither has posted a single item for their fantasy art collections. The three players at the very bottom of gameplay activity have some serious work ahead of them.

If you look closely at player expenditures, it becomes apparent most of the players are taking a very conservative tack. The results so far indicate players are keeping their expenditures relatively low and, as a result, their financial reserves are high. Are they playing it safe to make sure they don't run out of resources before they meet the minimum? OR are they following Player #5's lead and planning to assemble larger collections than the required minimum? We'll have to wait-and-see...

Let's breakdown player expenditures based on the three fantasy art budget categories: To refresh, there are three fantasy art budget categories: $1,000; $5,000 and $10,000. Four players are collecting in each of the three categories.

The four players in the $1,000 budget category have identified 22 pieces with total expenditures of $2,000 out of a $4,000 maximum in this fantasy art budget category. As of this week their average is just $90.91 per item collected; very conservative. There's quite a bit of headroom in this group for extra acquisitions in each of the fantasy art collections associated with this category. 

In the $5,000 fantasy art budget category players have spent a total of $5,080 on 18 works. $20,000 is the combined maximum expenditure for all the players in this budget category.  The average value per item in this group comes in at only $282.22. BUT, remember, players #6 & #8 haven't identified any works at all thus far. So, in this category a calculation of the average expenditure isn't particularly instructive. Looking only at the two players who HAVE posted works, they are accumulating them at very modest prices. Both have room to build up their respective collections beyond the minimum number, if they choose.

In the highest fantasy art budget category the players have expended just $17,515 out a combined cap of $40,000. All four players in the $10,000 fantasy budget category have posted choices; seventeen in all. The average value per piece is $1,030.29. Like most of the other players in Season 1, there's lots of room for these players to expand their fantasy art collections; unless they start spending a lot more on each work of art going forward.
​
The week ahead may well see another burst of gameplay. "Small Show" at Lumiere Photo and "Small Works" at Main Street Arts are both set to close this coming Saturday, December 21st. That puts pressure on players to make sure they've identified all the works they're interested in at those two venues. Why? In order to qualify for the game a work of art must be on public display at the time of submission.

Players #6, #8 & #11, the clock is ticking!

​​Audio-only link below will open in the iTunes app, if you have it, or a new browser window.

Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 is Rochester's fantasy art collecting game.

<<<outside the frame>>> is a limited series, interactive podcast recorded on ZOOM covering the game and discussing the regional art scene in the greater Rochester area. Members of the public are invited to participate in each episode alongside the invited guests and players on the show.*

Episode #2, recorded on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm, included a number of featured guests who - along with attendees - contributed to a vibrant conversation about the game and the regional art scene.

Episode #2 kicks off with an introduction to the game that includes an update on gameplay through December 10, 2024 with comments by several of the players. Then our featured guests talk a little about their activities in the arts. The episode concludes with a freewheeling discussion of the current arts scene in Rochester, New York.

The featured guests on this episode were:

• Adam Eaton, artist/photographer and executive director of Rochester Artist Collaborative
• Erich S. Lehman, artist, gallerist (Gallery 1975), itinerate curator, prodigious art collector, arts producer as well as co-curator of WALL/THERAPY.
• Nick Koch, artist/photographer, curator

The Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players who joined the conversation were:

• Reaghan McCan
• Mike Molaire
• Matt Vanderlee
• Susan Mandl & Seth Oser (playing as a team)
• Kelly Cheatle 

Click here to find all the players.

The host and moderator was Rome Celli, organizer of Rochester Art Collectors and Gamemaster of Red Dot Challenge, Season 1​

Looking ahead to our last episode during Red Dot Challenge, Season 1
​

• Episode #3:  Tuesday, January 14th at 7:00 pm EST (Click to register & get the link.)*

The Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 "BIG REVEAL" event in February will be the focus of the first part of the final episode. We'll also update you on gameplay as we approach the closing days of Season 1. After that we'll talk about the local art market in 2024 among other topics.

Each of the three podcasts has it's own registration & ticketing. Please look closely when you register to make sure you have the correct dates.

All the podcasts are FREE and open to the public with registration in advance on Eventbrite.

* All the episodes will be recorded live and posted here on reddotchallenge.org

Week #6 (Tuesday, December 3rd through Monday, December 9th) was EXPLOSIVE!

Six players added TWENY-FOUR items valued at $10,345 to six fantasy art collections. Week #6 was the easily the most active week of gameplay to date.

The next few weeks promise to deliver very exciting gameplay. Dozens of new exhibitions opened on Friday, December 6th including the biggest exhibition of the season, Rochester Contemporary's "Members Exhibition" with over 460 pieces! Two of the larger shows that opened last month ("Small Show" at Lumiere Photo and "Small Works" at Main Street Arts) will close on December 21st. That puts pressure on players to make sure they've identified all the works they're interested in at those two venues before the exhibitions close. In order to qualify for the game a work must still be public display at the time of submission.
 
Here's the breakdown from Week #6:

• Player #2 added two works valued at $245 to Fantasy Art Collection #2.
• Player #4 added three works valued at $320 to Fantasy Art Collection #4.
• Player #5 added TEN works valued at $2,360 to Fantasy Art Collection #5.
• Player #7 added FIVE works valued at $1,895 to Fantasy Art Collection #7.
• Player #10 added two works valued at $3,925 to Fantasy Art Collection #10.
• Player #12 added two works valued at $1,600 to Fantasy Art Collection #12.

Now that the players have accumulated quite a bit in their fantasy art collections, in addition to seeing the numbers on a spreadsheet, we think it will be helpful to see gameplay illustrated through graphic representations. So, starting this week followers on this site will see seven graphs:

• The week-by-week look at the number of works collected by players.
• The week-by-week look at the amount expended by players on their fantasy art collections.
• A comparison of the total number or works collected by each player so far.
• The percentage each player's fantasy art budget that has been expended by each player so far.​
• A look at players' gameplay expenditures grouped by fantasy budget levels ($1,000; $5,000; and $10,000).  The total fantasy dollar amount expended by each player and the average fantasy dollar amount expended on each work by each player.

Episode #2 of <<<outside the frame>>>, the Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 limited series interactive podcast, will go live on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm on ZOOM*. The recorded stream will be posted here soon after.

This episode of the show will include a number of featured guests, as well as a few of the Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players. Information about our guests is available below.

The key distinction between <<<outside the frame>>> and a typical podcast is the way it's open to the public. EVEYONE who registers in advance on Eventbrite will get a link to the show and be able to participate in real time along with the guests!

In this episode we'll provide a quick overview of the game and then dig into the emerging fantasy art collections and game strategies. We'll probably talk a bit about the MASSIVE art exhibitions offered this season. Then we'll introduce our featured guests and open up the conversation to art-related topics of interest to everyone on the ZOOM.

CLICK HERE to register and get your link to Episode #2:  Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm EST

​Adam Eaton is an artist & creative director born and raised in Rochester, NY. He uses photography as a medium to explore the beauty of Black people and examines how art and culture shape our definitions and perceptions of beauty while celebrating diversity. His commitment to art and the Rochester community has led him to create Rochester Artist Collaborative an arts organization that provides local artists with the resources and opportunities needed to succeed. 

Instagram: @adameaton.art (Adam Eaton)
Instagram: @rochesterartistcollaborative (Rochester Artist Collaborative)

By day, Erich S. Lehman is Lead IT Systems Administrator / Manager for RIT's College of Art and Design and has taught courses for RIT at the graduate and undergraduate level in topics ranging from the artistic to the technical. He’s also given lectures around the country in technical and artistic topics.

More notably for our discussion, he’s had a parallel career in the local arts community. Erich is founder and gallerist of 1975 Gallery (est. 2008), championing local, national, and international artists. He's a co-curator and Lead Organizer of WALL\THERAPY (est. 2011), an arts organization that has brought dozens of muralists from around our region and around the world to Rochester's public spaces. He is an itinerant curator at arts spaces around Rochester, and has a long-running design and creative practice of his own. And, of course, he's also an inveterate art collector. So, he's got a lot going on!

​Instagram: @1975ish (1975ish)
Instagram: @walltherapyny (WALL\THERAPY)

Most people know Nick Koch​ as @RocStreetPhoto on Instagram. He's a prolific street photographer who often turns his lens on urban architecture; particularly when it's accented by graffiti. His love of graffiti, the artists who create the work and the community who support their efforts are central to his oeuvre. But, he also has an eye for cars & motorcycles. TBH, any hot vehicle that crosses his path is fair game for a digital capture. And, let's just say he's not unfamiliar with the concept of a "wheelie". Nick has exhibited his work around town for quite some time. 

More recently, Nick found himself curating an art exhibition at Frank's Chop Shop on East Avenue. The show, "Thanks To The Streets" Volume #2", just came down at the end of November. It was a group show highlighting the vibrant world of graffiti art featuring works by over 40 talented artists and photographers. In his mind, it wasn't just an art show—it was a celebration of creativity and community. You get the picture.

Instagram: @rocstreetphoto (Roc Street Photo)

Mike Molaire  was born under the sun, inches from the ocean: in the coastal Haitian city of St Marc. His involvement with photography started at age 14. By seventeen, he was already doing on-site portraiture as a business.​
​
Mike came to Brooklyn, NY in July 1971. He used my  his first paycheck from a summer job to buy a photographic darkroom set that he used at night in the bathroom while everybody was sleeping. (He was enrolled in a correspondence photographic course with Modern Photography.) By September, while attending New York Technical College to study chemistry, he had started a (successful) wedding and portrait business.​
​
Upon graduation Mike was recruited by Eastman Kodak Company and moved to Rochester, NY in 1974. Mike traveled extensively as a Kodak employee around the US and on a few international trips. On every trip he arranged a vacation day to photograph each city he visited. He has amassed a large library of landscape scenes. 

Mike describes himself as a photo-artist, not a photojournalist. He does not report, inform, nor teach unless a particular project draws him to that approach. He wants to evoke your senses, your emotions, your feelings. He wants to stimulate, project, induce, provoke, excite, perk up, animate, arouse.
​
Mike is author and publisher of:

•  African American Who's Who Past & Present, Greater Rochester Area 12/1/1998.
• Shadow of Dreams (poetry) 12/1/1995. 
• Plus Pres (Nearer) (poetry) 12/1/1968
• La Vie des Oiseaux Morts (The Life of the Dead Birds) (poetry) 12/1/1965.

Instagram: @mikemolairefineart (Michel (Mike) Frantz Molaire)

Matt is an artist, curator and New York State certified educator practicing in Rochester, New York. He also creates artworks; facilitates arts programming; writes about art; talks about art and curates art exhibitions in collaboration with a variety of local organizations that include The Yards Art Collective, Rochester Artist Collaborative  and Frank’s Chop Shop.

Matt owns Hungwell Art Services which specializes in installing art in homes and businesses; packing & shipping art for clients and developing unique frames for works of art using handmade and found materials.

Matt participated in the Pilot Season of Red Dot Challenge in 2023-2024.

Instagram: @matt_vanderlee (Matt Vanderlee)

Kelly’s unique career has taken her around the world, designing and leading massive, community-built sculptures. Through both art and community organizing, she has witnessed the power of collective action—how people are eager to contribute to the greater good when given support and opportunity, and the importance of creating spaces for collaboration and creativity.

Both light-hearted and lion-hearted, Kelly blends her expertise in design, logistics, and marketing to champion equity and the arts in Rochester. Unwavering in her commitment to the common good, she challenges the status quo when it fails the people and advocates passionately for thoughtful, informed decision-making.

A Guinness World Record holder and Silver Abby award winner, Kelly’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Make Magazine. She is an active writer and has published essays, op-eds, as well as two children’s books, Artist Eyes and And He Puffed.

Instagram: ​@kellycheatle (Kelly Cheatle)

Susan & Seth* are now fully retired and loving it. They enjoy art, traveling, reading, and walking.

Susan  taught art in public school for 30 years. She creates art and also is an art collector.

Seth formerly owned and operated a Rochester-based printing company for 30 years. His dog is named Cayenne Pepper and he drives an EV.
​
​Seth & Susan ​are playing as a team. They are considered ONE player in Season 1.

Seth & Susan ​are playing as a team. They are considered ONE player in Season 1.

Instagram: @sethoze (Seth Oser)

* Susan & Seth participated in the Pilot Season of Red Dot Challenge in 2023-2024.

Looking ahead to the 3rd and final episode of <<<outside the frame>>>
​

• Episode #3:  Tuesday, January 14th at 7:00 pm EST (Click to register & get the link.)

The Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 "BIG REVEAL" event in February will be the focus of the first part of the final episode. We'll also update you on gameplay as we approach the closing days of Season 1. After that we'll talk about the local art market in 2024 among other topics.

​Each of the three podcasts has it's own registration & ticketing. Please look closely when you register to make sure you have the correct dates.

All the podcasts are FREE and open to the public with registration in advance on Eventbrite.

* All the episodes will be recorded live and posted here on reddotchallenge.org.

Friday, December 6th is "First Friday" in Rochester. This will be the second First Friday during Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 gameplay. The last First Friday will be on January 3, 2025. Gameplay ends on January 31, 2025.

If you don't already know, the first Friday night of each month is a big deal in the Rochester arts scene. Many art venues hold special exhibition events (read: parties!) on the first Friday of every month. It's so popular that Rochester Contemporary Arts Center (RoCo) hosts a special page on their website to share information about events scheduled on "First Fridays": FirstFridayRochester.org

First Fridays have evolved to become a sort of progressive party celebrating the artists, arts organizations, galleries, and the art scene. To make First Fridays even more exciting it's common for art venues to host their exhibition "OPENING" event right on First Fridays. When you combine the excitement of a progressive party with an opening night event you get a crowd. Fun! 

On Friday, December 6th there will be OVER TWENTY-FIVE art events around town! See a sampling of the offerings below.

One of the largest annual exhibition of works offered for sale at a single venue in our region - the Rochester Contemporary Arts Center's Members Exhibition - will hold its opening celebration on Friday, December 6th. The exhibition will feature hundreds of works for sale displayed "salon style" (from floor to ceiling).  The works will be smaller in scale and priced accordingly. Artists typically submit works created in a wide variety of media. If you love to look at art, don't miss this wonderful show!

Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 players will be out and about looking at art on Friday night. They'll be taking pictures and posting their activities to their Instagram accounts. Not long after each player will  post photographs of their choices to their fantasy art collection albums on Facebook.

Learn more about all the ways you can participate in Red Dot Challenge, Season 1 alongside the players HERE.

Week #5 (Tuesday, November 25th through Monday, December 2nd) was relatively quiet:
​

• Player #1 added two works valued at a total of $150 to Fantasy Art Collection #1.

The next few weeks promise to deliver very exciting gameplay. Starting on Friday, December 6th many new exhibitions will be open to the public and with them hundreds of works will be fair game. We expect players to be out in force!