Looking Back: Clothesline Through the Years 1957–2012 |
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announcement1957.jpg 700 KB | At the first Clothesline Festival, in June 1957, 101 exhibitors and 2,000 bargain hunters braved the wind and rain of Hurricane Audrey. (In subsequent years, the Festival moved to the weekend after Labor Day.) | |
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clothesline1958.jpg 576 KB | The brainchild of Langdon Clay, the Gallery’s longtime director of education, and Creative Workshop instructor Edna Weeks Smith, Clothesline quickly caught on. | |
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ponyride1958.jpg 530 KB | 25-cent pony rides were a popular feature of Festivals in the 1950s. | |
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clothesline1960.jpg 398KB | Some things have changed since the early days, but Clothesline is still the place to discover new artists and find great bargains. | |
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clothesline1963.jpg 590KB | The 1960s saw steady growth both in the number of artists and the number of visitors. | |
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clothesline1963-2.jpg 396KB | In the early years, art really did hang on Clotheslines. | |
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clothesline1973.jpg 448KB | The early careers of such notable Rochester artists as Wendell Castle, Peter Berg and Kathy Calderwood have all been linked to Clothesline . And the possibility of finding future luminaries who will go on to command greater fame and higher prices has always been part of the excitement. | |
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cake1988.jpg 344KB | In 1988, the Gallery celebrated its 75th anniversary, and Clothesline featured an 8-foot-high birthday cake sculpture. Visitors who autographed the sculpture were entered in a drawing for prizes including artworks and real cakes from Rochester bakeries. | |
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clothesline1996.jpg 366 KB | While Mother Nature has smiled most years on Clothesline, the Festival goes on–weather or not. In 1996, the remnants of Hurricane Fran kept away all but the hardiest visitors. But after Democrat and Chronicle reporter Carol Ritter wrote a sympathetic column, an outpouring of contributions from the community helped the Gallery avoid a funding gap. | |
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backlawn.jpg 837KB | After more than fifty years, Clothesline is still the place to browse, buy and enjoy live entertainment. | |
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crowdshot09-1.jpg 752KB | ||
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crowdshot09-4.jpg 812KB | ||
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shoppers09-1.jpg 694KB | ||
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shopper3.jpg 735KB | ||
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artist2.jpg 395 JB | ||
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sahara.jpg 780KB | Visitors of all ages can enjoy continuous live entertainment on the soundstage and free demonstrations and art activities at the Gallery’s Creative Workshop. | |
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soundstage.jpg 757KB | ||
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openhouse09.jpg 701KB | ||
Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester
500 University Ave, Rochester NY
585.276.8900, 585.473-6266 fax
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Museum Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday 11 am-5 pm Thursday 11 am-9 pm
CLOSED Monday, Tuesday and major holidays
