Vanish at RoCo

When Bleu Cease, Executive Director and Curator of the RochesterContemporary Art Center, initially told me about the concept for this exhibit, I was fascinated. The exhibit’s five artists explore loss and disappearance through different media, and the effect is overwhelming.

The first thing you see, entering the gallery, is Aaron Miller’s installation of decay – two armchairs and a footstool that look like they could have been in a fire, or would have been at home on a set of The Addams Family. It is "a chilling reminder of the relationships between fossil fuels, the environment, and domestic spaces." On the opposite wall, you’re faced with a powerful message, Dorene Quinn’s History, which she describes this way:

“I have heard the phrase ‘the wrong side of history’ repeated more and more frequently in political and social discourse. These words applied to climate change are prescient and we may have already entered into this ‘other side’ in which much of the damage cannot be reversed. History for now, is a human construct, and will cease when it is no longer recorded, although we can’t help imagining a story beyond us.”

That certainly puts things into perspective!

Passenger pigeon, extinct
in 1914, due to habitat
loss and overhunting

Falkland Island wolf, hunted to
extinction in 1876

Brandon Ballengee’s poignant series of historical prints, Framework of Absence, confronts the viewer with our current “biodiversity crisis, often referred to as the…Sixth great extinction. Species are disappearing at upwards of a thousand times the natural rate.” In response, Ballengee has gathered prints, dating as far back as 1585, of various now-extinct animals, and removed the image of the animal from the scene. He then burned the excised images and the cremated remains are displayed in little jars. Not only is the negative space in the prints haunting, but my initial reaction was – how could he defile a historical work of art this way, even for the sake of art? Upon further reflection, I wondered – how long can we humans continue to defile our planet before we ourselves become endangered?

The lab space hosts Meredith Davenport’s moving 8,817 Goodbyes, a selection of photos she took of dead bees from her urban beehive, which collapsed last October.

The exhibit’s weaving of environment, history, and art is extremely sobering. It runs until November 13. And if you go in the next week, you’ll be able to see Kevin Dartt’s outdoor installation What You Put In, a water-fountain representation of the Great Lakes, which the artist hopes will encourage us “not to abuse The Lakes and reminds us not to take fresh water for granted.”

5 Year Anniversary

Five years can feel like an eternity or a blink of an eye. I moved to Rochester five years ago this month, and on the one hand, can’t believe I haven’t lived here forever, and on the other, feel like I just got here. When my dad was still alive, he’d send us kids newspaper articles (this was before you could just send a web link…) that might interest us, and in 2001 and 2002, shortly after Charlie and I got married, he sent me two articles from the New York Times: “Rochester, Still a Cradle of Invention and Industrial Influence,” and “36 Hours – Rochester.” And of course I still have them! Of all of the recommended things to do, I’ve checked many of them off my list, even a defunct one (Rio Bamba), and the Elizabeth Collection and M.E.T.A.L. Museum (but only in its current incarnation as ARTISANworks). And I’ve managed to create my own to-do list and work my way through it, with the help of both old and new friends!

I thought I’d take a few minutes to reflect on my new life in Rochester. There are certainly things I miss about living in New Jersey – the proximity to the city and attending Broadway shows and the New York City Ballet; my long-time city friends; the Morristown Theatre, with its variety of musical, dance, and comedy presentations; the local duplicate bridge center, which was an actual place, and introduced me to two wonderful partners who have become very close friends; Newark Airport, with flights to everywhere. But there are things I don’t miss: how long it took to get in and out of the city, and the fact that Charlie rarely accompanied me, because it was such a chore; not having my own outside space, in our condo complex; the traffic and noise; the anonymity.

One of my favorite
paintings, at the MAG

When I first moved here, I missed, and wrote to Costco, REI, Omaha Steaks, and Whole Foods, pleading with them to expand to Rochester. Well, I’m batting 75%, and if Brighton gets its Whole Foods, I’ll be 4 for 4! In the meantime, I’ve developed a love of and allegiance to many Rochester institutions: Geva Theatre, the RPO, Susan B. Anthony House, Nazareth College Arts Center, the Memorial Art Gallery, RoCo, and the Seneca Park Zoo, to name just a few. And I’m in two singing groups, where I was in none in NJ. I’ve developed a respect for regional theatre and music that I never had, having always lived in a large city environment. I love the proximity to the Finger Lakes; being able to bike car-free on the Erie Canal; having a yard and garden (that, luckily, my husband loves to maintain!); the ease of getting to the Rochester airport, even though you can’t get many places directly from here; and being close to my husband’s family, when they’re in town… Most of all, I’m grateful for the many friends I’ve made here, and the ease with which I’ve been able to integrate into this community.

Rocapella performing at a
nursing home

I know I’m not a true Rochesterian, but I’m evolving, and in a momentary lapse, I even recently found myself referring to downtown Rochester as “the city”! We live in a great neighborhood, and it’s the first time in 35 years – my entire adult life – that I haven’t shared at least one wall with a neighbor.

Reflections on the Erie Canal

I’m sad neither of my parents, nor Charlie’s, nor Charlie’s oldest sister, lived to see our new house and to share in in our happiness here. But I have convinced most of my family to visit, and many friends as well. And they, too, are discovering the attraction of “upstate.” I look forward to many more happy years in my new home!

Make Every Woman and Girl Count - we’re walking, we’re walking…

When my friend Susan, the Executive Director of the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley, asked me if I would participate in the 5K walk/run to raise money for this worthy non-profit, of course I said “yes,” even though I’d only ever biked for charity before. And I enlisted a couple of my Concentus buddies to enter with me, although we weren’t all committing to the same pace. I am not a runner, but since it was a raw, blustery autumn morning, I did better than stroll…

There were over 30 “teams” of walkers and runners, with over 200 participants. When I checked the website right before the event, they had already raised around $25,000 from that group. The event had a long list of sponsors, including Medved, Wegmans, and Dixon Schwabl, who also provided support for the event. Kathy and I arrived at Genesee Valley Park around 9:15 to check in for the 10am start time, and Kate joined us just a bit later. We gathered our t-shirts and goodie bags and snacks, as well as bottles of Karma water – made right here in Rochester!

The race started precisely at 10, and we walkers took to the path directly after. We crossed over the Genesee River, then over the Erie Canal, and walked south along the river, past the Public Safety Training Facility, with its spooky burned-out-looking airplanes and pretend control tower. We made it back to the finish line in about 50 minutes (we were slowed a bit by my needing to stop occasionally for photos…). Kate had originally signed up to run, but walked with Kathy and me in solidarity, and we had a lovely chat about lots of things and nothing in particular (and kept our stress levels down by not talking politics!).

It was a great way to start a day that will end with Concentus rehearsal. I think you can still donate, if you’re interested. And thank you to everyone who contributed to my page!

Estate Sale

On a dark, drizzly Saturday morning I decided to go early to the estate sale of a friend who is moving from Rochester. The streets were mostly deserted as I pulled up in front of her house at 7am to join several other cars. I wasn’t familiar with the procedure, but the guy behind me motioned to me to walk behind his car, and I found the man handing out temporary numbers. I got number 7 – not bad! When I asked him how long he'd been there, he said since midnight, but he'd hired someone to be there at 7:30pm, just in case. The person who got #2 arrived at 1:30am…

So here's how this works. The sale opens at 10am, and just before that, the manager of the sale arrives and hands out entry numbers, to reduce chaos. In the meantime, eager beavers (mostly dealers and collectors) arrive early and have an informal numbering system. The first person to arrive hands out temporary numbers, which then get exchanged for real numbers, at 9am. This system was definitely created by a man, since you are not supposed to just get a number and leave and return at 9am. (I smartly drank nothing before going, but could you imagine a woman creating a system that required waiting in a car for hours?)

awaiting the number exchange...

I took some reading to catch up on, and the 2 hours passed reasonably quickly. At 8am several people started lurking about so I went back to the numbers guy, who explained that some of them were asking permission to leave for a restroom break, which he permitted (I had been warned that sometimes you forfeit your number if you do that, but this guy was being generous). He also explained that at 9am, after I exchanged my temporary number for a real one, I could leave and come back at 10am. So complicated!

It was a bit sad to see so many of my friend’s personal belongings, including items she’d collected from traveling the world, set out with little price tags, for complete strangers to handle. It made me ponder what will happen to my own treasures when I’m gone, and regret what happened to many of my parents’ when they died. Each object has a story – a story that generally dies when it passes hands, or worse yet, ends up as landfill.

Was it worth it? Well, I got what I went for, and then some. I’d been alerted earlier in the week to a cast iron garden bench that was for sale at a reasonable price, not knowing who the owner was. When the person managing the sale explained the circumstances and address, so we could go look at it before committing, I new exactly to whom it belonged. We checked it out, and of course wanted to purchase it, but the sale manager said since it had been pictured in the on-line catalog, we couldn’t take it then, but he’d put a ‘sold’ sticker on it and we could pick it up at the sale. He also indicated that there might be some bidding on it, which I thought was peculiar for an estate sale. Luckily, when I entered the house, I made a bee-line out the back, where the bench was now priced 50% higher; maybe someone else had also expressed interest? Of course it had no ‘sold’ sticker because of the increase, but I made an executive decision (I didn’t want to risk losing it to someone else by taking the time to check with my husband). I also bought a large ceramic planter, and a couple of tchotchkes as gifts for friends (I have made a note to ask my friend about their stories). I will think of her fondly whenever I pass the bench and planter in my garden, and hope she’s doing well in her new home in Seattle.

Empty Bowls

Guests enjoying their soup

“Empty Bowls is a grassroots effort that raises awareness and money to address homelessness and hunger in towns and cities across the nation. In Rochester, area artists donate small bowls or original works of art for Empty Bowls. About 400 guests will pay to attend a simple supper of bread and soup. During the event, each guest will pick a bowl to keep and bid on the art work.”*

Conentus singers (including Kathy Grant)
director, and friends

This annual event is sponsored by Catholic Family Center (CFC), which benefits people in crisis throughout Monroe County. CFC is a member of Catholic Charities USA, which provides “social services to people in need, regardless of their religious, social or economic backgrounds.”* While I prefer to support secular non-profits, it’s a fact that, at least historically, religious organizations are, well, more organized than the non-religious in sponsoring programs to help those in need. And CFC doesn’t use their outreach to proselytize.

When I consulted their website, I was impressed by the breadth of services CFC provides, including Healthy Sisters’ Soup and Bean Works – I’m a big fan of their soup mixes! Given the description of the event, I was prepared for some sort of austerity soup, like chicken vegetable, or worse, just broth. So I was amazed at the veritable feast of soups – over a dozen delicious options to choose from, provided by local restaurants! I started with a hearty Black Bean Pumpkin Bisque (Dogtown), and progressed to Meatball Minestrone (Genesee Brew House). I thought I was full, until Julia, of Julia K. Caters, convinced me to taste her truly creamy Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque Smoked Gouda Crème Fraiche and Toasted Cheese Crouton – I could have had another bowl, but I had to save room for the desserts that were being passed – cookies, ice cream, cream puffs, brownies, and fudge. Did I mention that there was also a complimentary selection of beer and wine?

which bowl to choose?

Friendly competition as the
end of the auction nears

I loved the wide variety of hand-made bowls (and mugs) to choose from (in addition to the meal, a bowl was included in the price of admission). Fellow Concentus singer Kathy Grant, CFC’s Director of Marketing & Communications, told me they had upwards of 400 guests, and luckily there were more than enough bowls for everyone (even enough for some, like me, to purchase an additional bowl…). The event was held in a large hall at Kodak Theatre on the Ridge (with great background music provided by the Rochester Ukulele Orchestra), which was easy to get to, and had plenty of free parking nearby. I “won” three items in the silent auction, and there was some serious bidding on quite a few things, including an adorable tiny, hand-painted Adirondack chair.

Century Club staircase

CFC’s next event is their “Yesteryear’s Treasures – Today’s Elegance – Tomorrow’sHope” luncheon and fashion show, on November 4, at the Century Club. If you haven’t had a chance to peek inside this historic house, this fundraiser would be an excellent opportunity! And I’m definitely putting Empty Bowls in my calendar for 2017.

*from the Catholic Family Center website

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at Nazareth

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is one of my favorite (non-Sondheim) musicals you’ve never heard of. I saw it on Broadway during its unsuccessful short run in 2010, and would have seen it twice, if it hadn’t closed shortly after I saw it. The music is fantastic, and the performances, especially by Sherie Renee Scott, Laura Benanti, and Danny Burstein were wonderful. Patti Lupone and Brian Stokes Mitchell were also not bad. But for some reason, audiences didn’t flock to it, and it received mediocre reviews. I figured I’d have to content myself with the CD forevermore. Then I saw that it was going to be performed by Nazareth College! So I got tickets near the beginning of its run, in case I wanted to see it again…

My friend Mary Ann attended the matinee show with me, and we were surprised that it was not in the regular Callahan Theatre, but in the smaller, more intimate 80ish-seat Studio 48 (the website says it seats 120, but it didn’t seem like it). By the time we arrived for this sold-out performance, our best option was the front row, where I was careful not to cross my legs for fear of tripping the actors as they ran past.

I was impressed to learn that the theatre students at Nazareth chose this musical in particular, and held auditions for the roles last spring. Impressed, because the music is not easy. For example, this bit of genius captured illegally by someone: Laura Benanti singing “Model Behavior.” Katja Stavenhagen, the student who played Candela, did a magnificent job – she even looked a bit like Benanti. Kit Prelewitz, a local, was astoundingly talented in the lead role of Pepa.

It was a surprise not to hear two songs that are on the original cast recording - “Time Stood Still” and “The Microphone” - but not a disappointment, since neither added much to the plot. The finale was unfamiliar – either it’s new since the original production, or it didn’t make it to the recording. Unfortunately, there’s no song list in the program, so I will have to ask the name of the song when I go see the show again next weekend. Because yes, I do want to see it again! Anyone want to go with me? We’ll need to get our tickets immediately, because it’s sure to sell out again next weekend. 

For tickets, click here: TICKETS