Rochester Contemporary Art Center

Rochester Contemporary Art Center RoCo is a venue for the exchange of ideas and a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 1977.
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Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) is a venue for the exchange of ideas and a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that was founded in 1977. As a center for thoughtful contemporary art, RoCo provides unique encounters for audiences and extraordinary opportunities for artists.

09/06/2026

Reflection, healing, and renewal are central themes in Katharine Torgersen’s Still, Moving: A Firefly Meditation installed in our media room.

On view until September 19, stop into RoCo to experience the installation and listen to the full audio tour.

09/04/2026

COLLABORATOR ON INSTAGRAM:

We’re back at it and open late with
color ✔️
texture ✔️
things to look at and talk about ✔️
Come wander through our current exhibitions this to take it all in.
Visit until 9pm and see
Main Gallery = “Fire & Form” workingwithwaxrocflx
Lab Space = “Detour” by _talkitup_
Media Room = “Still, Moving: A Firefly Meditation” by Katharine Torgersen

Artworks is order of appearance:
“Newport Beach Sunset” Claire Nigro
“Unheard Pain” nickolas viele
“Scraps #2” _talkitup_
Installation Katharine Torgersen

Members! Keep your ringers on. 📞 Shannon & our great team of volunteers will be calling you on our “vintage” telephone t...
09/03/2026

Members! Keep your ringers on. 📞 Shannon & our great team of volunteers will be calling you on our “vintage” telephone to remind you about the Members Exhibition - and they’re all so dedicated, they will call you from anywhere ;-)

Not a member yet? Don’t fret! There’s still time to join.

REQUIREMENTS:
Be a RoCo Member (join online or in-person)
Have one artwork within the size limit that you want to exhibit!
(Size limit > 2D: 32” x 32” and 3D: 24” x 24” x 24”)

ARTWORK DROP OFF DAYS:
Thursday, November 5 from 12-5pm *** NEW Thursday date!
Friday, November 6 from 12-5pm
Saturday, November 7 from 12-5pm

OTHER DATES:
If you need to ship your artwork, make sure it arrives by November 1.
Want to submit a video work? Contact us by October 25.

Visit rochestercontemporary.org/exhibitions/36th for size restrictions, the entry form (click DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM) and more information!

09/02/2026

“Fire & Form” juror Regina B. Quinn is an renownded encaustic artist based in New York’s Northern Catskill Mountains. She is also President of International Encaustic Artists and Director of Grant Initiatives. 

This summer, Quinn carefully selected just 70 artworks for Fire & Form from more than 200 submissions.

Accompanying the exhibition is a juror’s text in which Quinn shares her love of encaustic art and reflects on the guiding principle she brought to the jurying process:

“With so many excellent artworks from which to choose, I could easily have included more than twice the number of works you’ll see on view here in Fire & Form. I whittled back my first round of selections of excellent entries by asking myself, “To what degree does this work display a unique and compelling window into contemporary wax-media art?”

Visit RoCo before September 19 to read the full text and see Fire & Form.

Artworks in order: 
“Approaching Storm”, Regina B. Quinn Regina Quinn
“Burst”, Deanna Varble Deanna Varble
Gallery installation
“Sisterhood”, detail, Christine Knoblauch 
“Kurinuki Triptych”, Marie Dungan
“Vineyard Moonrise”, Birgitt Wolf Peterson
“The Earth Finally Cried”, Itter Randazzo
“Passing Through”, Leslie Yolen

25 venues, dozens of exhibiting artists, and no better reason to get out and support your community this First Friday! S...
09/01/2026

25 venues, dozens of exhibiting artists, and no better reason to get out and support your community this First Friday! Swing by some of the many great shows opening on September 4 - visit firstfridayrochester.org for the full list.

🎉🎉 And welcome new venue Laurentide Clay!!

Open venues:
Aldaskeller Wine Co.
Anderson Alley Artists
Behind the Glass Gallery
Carol Domenico's Studio 312 *
Colleen Buzzard Studio *
Happy Earth Tea
Image City Photography Gallery
Judy & Peter Gohringer Studio 300 *
Laurentide Clay
Lumiere
Lynne Feldman Studio *
Path Forward Counseling
Pittsford Fine Art
Rainbow Cammo
The Refinery
RIT City Art Space
Rochester Contemporary Art Center
Rochester Fine Art Market
subsector
Ugly Duck Coffee
Visual Studies Workshop
Wicked Reserve Dispensary
The Yards

First Friday is sponsored by Rochester City Council

08/31/2026

The First Friday Fanatic of September is Amanda Chestnut! Amanda Chestnut

Amanda co-founded and curates for In This Moment: Revolution, Reckoning, Reparations, a local project that preserves the stories of contemporary Black leaders. As a curator, Amanda appreciates First Friday for the opportunity it provides to meet new artists.

Amanda also bartends at Spotted Octopus Brewing, wSpotted Octopus Brewingn working on Friday nights. But this month they hope to make it to nearby stops, Ugly Duck Coffee and RoCo.Ugly Duck CoffeedayroRoCoter.org to learn more about these events and see so many more!

First Friday is sponsored by City Council, Rochester, NCity Council, Rochester, New York

Consider this your friendly reminder: deadlines are coming! ** Entry Deadline: September 1 **All entries will be accepte...
08/30/2026

Consider this your friendly reminder: deadlines are coming!

** Entry Deadline: September 1 **
All entries will be accepted that are within the guidelines.

As part of the upcoming exhibition Sanctuary: Borders, and Belonging in 2026 we’re accepting artwork submissions by immigrants from all backgrounds and geographies.

There are basic guidelines below and there is more information on our website as well as the entry submission form:

-Rochester area considered the following counties: Monroe, Orleans, Niagara, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario and Wayne Counties

-Artists may display their work anonymously

-Artwork may be any artistic medium or craft. One per artist. Maximum dimensions 24” x 24”-We encourage personal testimony, memory, anger, critique, repair, celebration, and imagination.

- This call for art is intended for artists as they express their own personal experience with immigration through a visual artwork or craft.

** Call for temporary, 2D Public Art **
Submission deadline: September 15
Artist will be selected by October 15

September 15 is the last day to send an email to [email protected] with a single pdf proposal containing:
• Contact information for artist (name, mailing address, phone number, and email)
• Resume or CV for each artist
• Simple project proposal, up to 500 words
• Three vertical (portrait) format images (of existing work) with title, date, and caption information

We welcome visual artists of all genres to participate and share their vision for a new addition to our East Ave neighborhood.

For more info and a timeline go to rochestercontemporary.org >> Read

Opening tonight August 28, 6-9pmFire & Form in partnership with the Working with Wax Roc/Flx group*panel discussion at 7...
08/28/2026

Opening tonight August 28, 6-9pm

Fire & Form in partnership with the Working with Wax Roc/Flx group
*panel discussion at 7pm

Detour by Aaron Steffer 

Still, Moving: A Firefly Meditation by Katharine Torgersen

*admission $2 / free for RoCo members

Address

137 East Avenue
Rochester, NY
14604

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 9pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+15854612222

Website

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