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.

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

COMP ALUMNI NEWS! 🎉We’re so excited for three of our previous COMP Studios residents who all have new exhibitions openin...
08/27/2026

COMP ALUMNI NEWS! 🎉

We’re so excited for three of our previous COMP Studios residents who all have new exhibitions opening this First Friday!

Aidan Sofia Earle (Summer 2026) has a solo exhibition, The Persistence of Flowers, at Aldaskeller Wine Co. from 5-7:30pm

Tiwa Topia (Fall 2025) is opening Ajọyọ̀ (The Festival), a solo stained glass exhibition, at The Yards Collective from 6-9pm

And Aaron Steffer (one of our very first residents at our previous location) will have work on view at TWO venues: solo exhibition Detour here at RoCo (opening August 28 with open hours 6-9pm on First Friday) and a collaborative show with Nova at Lumiere opening 6-9pm First Friday!

Make sure to add these events to your First Friday plans and support these three talented artists we had the pleasure of working with!

And if you want to see what COMP Studios is all about, you can learn more and apply for a residency today at rochestercontemporary.org/comp

Our new exhibitions opening August 28 invite us to consider the materiality of art, from wax and its many textures to sa...
08/26/2026

Our new exhibitions opening August 28 invite us to consider the materiality of art, from wax and its many textures to salvaged materials and painted glass.

• In the Main Gallery, 60 encaustic artists highlight the thriving New York State encaustic community, shaped by established art schools and historic craft traditions. This juried exhibition features more than 70 wax-based works from across the state and is presented in partnership with workingwithwaxrocflx

• In the LAB Space, _talkitup_ takes us on a ride through wall-based, mixed-media paintings built from salvaged materials, like construction signs, found wood, and reflective sheeting.

• In the Media Room, Katharine Torgersen asks us to experience stillness not as stagnation, but as a space for reflection, healing, and renewal through illuminated painted-glass sculptures paired with field recordings.

*special - there will be a panel discussion at 7pm about encaustic art today with some of the artists in Fire & Form.

This ESL Rochester Fringe Festival we’re excited to host long-time collaborators MCC’s On the Edge Drama Troupe for four...
08/23/2026

This ESL Rochester Fringe Festival we’re excited to host long-time collaborators MCC’s On the Edge Drama Troupe for four, free performances!

Festivalgoers are invited to become both creators and participants in a shared work of illuminated art. As each person adds light to the installation, individual actions merge into a larger, radiant image, revealing the power of collective effort. Set beneath the open sky, the piece will transform the space beside RoCo, and reflect a simple but resonant idea: change begins with each of us, but shines brightest when we work together.

This interactive production will take place in the park next to RoCo and is the sixth collaboration between The Troupe and RoCo. The performance will take place in the proximity of the related public art installation BELONG by Gianna Stewart.

-—> Friday, September 18 @ 7pm 

-—> Saturday, September 19 @ 7pm

-—> Friday, September 25 @ 7pm

-—> Saturday, September 26 @ 7pm

** Free ** 

**RoCo will also be open until 9pm September 17 - 19 for extended viewing of our current exhibitions.

Post images are from past Troupe and RoCo Fringe Festival collabs.

Do working-class people feel estranged from the worlds of art, culture, and the academy? Class location, identity, linea...
08/22/2026

Do working-class people feel estranged from the worlds of art, culture, and the academy? Class location, identity, lineage, and associations are inherent to how art is curated, judged, analyzed, and promoted. Yet, class perspective is rarely acknowledged in how art is seen and selected.

Join us for a discussion with Janet Zandy on September 10 at 6pm about her forthcoming book, “Working-Class Girls Don’t Become Artists.” 

This talk links labor and art in the work of nine artists, Käthe Kollwitz, Elizabeth Catlett, Ruth Asawa, Marilyn Anderson, Milton Rogovin, Jens S. Jensen, Mark Rogovin, Ralph Fasanella, and Raymond Mason, whose work aligns with the histories and living conditions of working-class people. 

The quiet, steady theme of this book is that Everyone needs art and the deprivation of seeing and making art harms people.

BELONG by Gianna Stewart is on view outside RoCo for a few more months, and you can show your support and amplify the sp...
08/20/2026

BELONG by Gianna Stewart is on view outside RoCo for a few more months, and you can show your support and amplify the spirit of the project with a BELONG t-shirt! You can purchase on our website or in the gallery when we reopen to the public on August 28th!

The 27th Annual Joe+N Day-Tour is coming up in just a few days! From 10am to 5pm Joe and a rotating case of players will...
08/18/2026

The 27th Annual Joe+N Day-Tour is coming up in just a few days! 

From 10am to 5pm Joe and a rotating case of players will have 8 shows around Rochester.

Come to RoCo for their 3pm set!

Joe Tunis

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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