Meet the Artist: Charles Gaines in Conversation

Join esteemed artist Charles Gaines as he discusses his work and creative process. Combining a career-long commitment to both systems and critical thinking, Gaines has built a bridge between the early conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s and subsequent generations of artists pushing the limits of conceptualism today. Ellen Tani, Assistant Professor of Art History at RIT, will be in dialogue with the artist.

This program is offered in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology, which welcomes Gaines (MFA ’67, D. Hon. ’23) as the Anna Ballarian Visiting Artist. An exhibition of Gaines’s work is on view at RIT’s University Gallery, March 16–April 10, 2026. Learn more about the exhibition.

To submit a request for ASL interpretation, please email access@mag.rochester.edu at least two weeks before the program.

Advance registration is required for this free event. This is a free-seating program—we encourage you to arrive by 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. Unclaimed seats may be released to walk-in guests. Online ticket sales end on Thursday, March 26, at 7:00 pm. Ticket includes museum admission.

For questions about this event, please contact Chiyo Ueyama at cueyama@mag.rochester.edu.

Image: Charles Gaines, Moving Chains (detail), 2022. Photo by Timothy Schenck