ART STEW

The Annual Members’ Art Show is installed at Rochester Contemporary Art Center. This is a democratic exhibition: if you are a dues paying member of RoCo, you may deliver one piece of your art to include on the walls for this show – no judging, no art jury, no work ever denied (except for possible size restrictions.) As you might expect, the show is a free-for-all, art hung cheek by jowl as far as the eye can see from floor to nearly ceiling.

The result: it’s hard to see any art for all the art.

I have some trouble with art democracy. For most of my adult life, my job has been to judge the work of artists – either to sell or critique for publication. I’ve spoken out against the wasted opportunity for excellence in places such as the Gallery at High Falls where no exhibitor is ever turned.

But I’ve also written recently about art elitism – particularly the Memorial Art Gallery Biennial where, from hundreds of artists’ entries, under fifty make it to the wall with an exhibition meant to showcase regional art talent.

I’m not alone in the philosophical mush of uncertainty. RoCo claims that this is a totally unjudged show but is sponsoring a public “vote for your favorite” contest – by any definition, a “Best In Show.” Several individual prizes are awarded as well. Sounds a little hypocritical to me.

So is there such a thing as a successful, truly democratic art show? YES THERE IS! And it’s RoCo again. The 6x6 fund raising exhibit equalizes size, price (every art piece is sold for $20.) and total anonymity between buyer and artist. It’s such fun that good artists are happy to submit work even knowing that it may hang alongside that of an 8 year old from an elementary school art class. It's not even a close contest between the quality of the two RoCo shows: the 6X6 wins hands down.

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I lie awake these nights mentally sorting through rooms of furniture, rugs and art work. Some will stay in Rochester to live wherever it is we end up and the rest will land at our new house in North Carolina. I feel like I’m sending half my children off to a foster home – or worse, breaking up twins or dragging babies away from mom.

As excited as I am about setting up a new place “from scratch”, I also realize that many of my art treasures are rooted in Rochester/Upstate New York soil and they give me….what exactly? Credentials? Snob appeal? OH, NO! I AM ABOUT TO BECOME ANONYMOUS.

Well, that’s part of “reinvention” isn’t it? You roll the dice and you accept the challenges.