While many Rochesterians dread the shortening of the days and the increased and lingering chill in the air, I love autumn for the sudden surge in art shows. Kids go back to school and our area's many academic institutions triple the amount of shows on display. As the cozy season approaches, here are 10 reasons to spare yourself from the inevitable cabin fever that harsher weather imposes. In addition to what mainly attracted me, I've included other shows on each venue's schedule. For continued updates, check with each of the venues, and watch our calendar at rochestercitynewspaper.com.
Mercer Gallery's current show, "Juliana Furlong Williams: Personal Expressions," is a retrospective of the late artist and MCC professor's work, curated by her husband, artist Lawrence (Judd) Williams; it remains on view through October 6. Also scheduled this season at Mercer are "Radical Departure," a show of works by Jose Olivieri Rivera (October 12-Novmeber 9); the MCC Visual and Performing Arts Faculty Exhibition (November 16-December 21); "Women in History, The Cover Girls" by Patti Ambrogi (January 25-February 22); "Soundings" by Jack Wolsky (February 27-March 29); "Illustrations" by Murray Tinkelman (April 1-26); and the 37th Annual Student Art Exhibition (May 3-August 24). The Mercer Gallery is located in the Fine Arts Building 12-114, in the North Atrium on the Brighton Campus (1000 E. Henrietta Road). For information, call 292-2021, or visit monroecc.edu/go/mercer.
Nomadic no more: 1975 Gallery will host the inaugural show at its new white walls spot at 89 Charlotte St., the former site of the Little Bakery. In September, enjoy "Home is Where the Art is," a showcase of work by 15 Rochester artists curated by gallery owner Erich Lehman. The show remains on view through October 6. Also coming up is 1975 Gallery's fourth anniversary, Halloween-themed show, "Haunted," which will open October 20, and 1975 will host the kick-off of the tour for the National Poster Prospectus, as well as School for American Crafts grad student Karen Mahardy's thesis show in April. Watch 1975ish.com for updates.
The Community Darkroom at Genesee Center for the Arts & Education (713 Monroe Ave.) will host "It's Hardly Noticeable," photos by John William Keedy, through October 17. Keedy's work explores the world of a character who, while struggling internally with his imperfections and desire to blend in with the crowd, refuses to fall victim to that which ails him. Also at Genesee Center, in the Printing and Book Arts studio, check out "Give & Take," letterpress book arts from the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative in Buffalo (through September 29), and in the Firehouse Gallery, get local, handmade gifts at the "WinterCraft" sale of ceramics, jewelry, paintings, photos, and more (November 16-January). For more information, call 244-1730 or visit geneseearts.org.
George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will present "60 from the 60s" October 6-January 27 in the Brackett-Clark Gallery. The show features 60 prints from the 1960's by 10 of the most important photographers of that tumultuous decade, including Harry Callahan, Benedict J. Fernandez, Hollis Frampton, Betty Hahn, Robert Heinecken, Mary Ellen Mark, Roger Mertin, Arnold Newman, Aaron Siskind, and Garry Winogrand. Also of interest: the annual "Sweet Creations Gingerbread House Display" (November 7-December 12), the Holiday Wreath Display (November 1-29), and the Festival of Trees (November 7-December 12). For more information, call 271-3361, or visit eastmanhouse.org.
Through October 28, check out "In Company with Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows" at the Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave.). Next up, MAG offers "Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3," an exhibition of works by contemporary Native American artists (exhibition opening party on November 17), followed by "The Good, the Bad, and the Broken" (March 17-June 9). In the Lockhart Gallery, MAG will host "Framing Edo: Masterworks from Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views" (September 21-January 13). For more information, call 276-8900, or visit mag.rochester.edu.
Oxford Gallery (267 Oxford St.) is currently showing "Water Work," with paintings by Chris Baker, Roland Stevens, and Barbara Fox, through October 6. From October 20 through November 24, the gallery will host a showing of oil and acrylic paintings by David Dorsey and Brian O'Neill, who each have the rare quality of excelling at both hyperrealism and light-filled, emotionally moving abstracts. Next up is the annual holiday exhibit (December 1-January 5), followed by paintings and drawings by Jean K. Stephens and Ray Easton (January 19-February 23), paintings by Richard Jenks and Daniel Mosner (March 9-April 13), and the Oxford Spring Theme Show: "The Four Humors" (April 27-June 1). For more information call 271-5885 or visit oxfordgallery.com.
Through September 30, The University of Rochester's Hartnett Gallery (Wilson Commons, UR River Campus) will host "To Toy With the Attic," the strange and colorful current works of Alessandra Sulpy, which explore the relationships between toy characters and their human counterparts. Next up is "Watermark," a show of photographs by Robin Germany (October 12-November 4). Germany's images are taken with an underwater camera used to breach the divide between the fragile worlds above and below the water, and while they make subtle commentary on conservation, they remain undeniably beautiful. The faculty exhibition will be held November 15-December 9. For more updates, watch blogs.rochester.edu/hartnett.
Rochester Contemporary Art Center (137 East Ave.) will host "Me Pix: Media/Pictures/Us," featuring new and recent electronic-media portraits by national and internationally-based artists, including Ann Oren (New York/Israel), Daniel Cosentino (Rochester/Kosovo), Jess Levey (New York, NY), Karen Chan (New York, NY), and Stephan Petranek (Indianapolis, IN). The show runs October 5-November 11, with an artists' talk on October 7 at 1 p.m. For more information and updates, visit rochestercontemporary.org.
From October 20 to November 18, Siskind Gallery at Visual Studies Workshop (51 Prince St.) will host "MFA | NOW," a juried exhibition of works in photography, books, and moving media by graduate students from throughout the Northeast. The show is held in connection with the Society of Photographic Education's Northeast Regional Conference, to be held at VSW November 1-3. Also check out ImageArt (September 29-October 20), a solo show by Hank Willis Thomas (November 1-December 9), and the MFA Thesis Exhibition (November 30-December 9). For more information, call 442-8676 or visit vsw.org.
Through October 12, the Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery at SUNY College at Brockport (350 New Campus Drive, Brockport) presents "Telling Their Stories: The Lingering Legacy of Hurricane Katrina," a photography exhibit with work by nationally known photographers. From October 25 to December 9, check out "Low Fidelity," a show of work by regional and national artists who purposefully employ outdated equipment and technologies in the creation of their work. The reception will take place October 25, 4-6 p.m. Come 2013 Tower will include "Monroe and Vicinity Biennial" (January 31-February 24) and "Salvador Dali: Dante's 'Divine Comedy'" (February 28-March 29), a showing of the complete series of the 100 woodblock prints, produced by master printers from Dali's original watercolor paintings, which the of the surreal fellow created to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Italian poet's birth. The reception will take place February 28, 4-6 p.m. The year will be capped off with the Annual Student Art Exhibition (April 12-May 5). For more information, call 395-2805 or visit Brockport.edu/finearts.
