For over five decades Archie Rand has been regarded as a maverick and rule-breaker, and The 613 is his most ambitious work. An enormous multi-panel painting, it depicts surprising responses to the 613 commandments of the Torah, which is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament). Yes, there are more than 10 commandments—the rules that govern ethical and religious behavior in Judaism. Rand’s monumental installation explores traditions of both biblical interpretation and artistic expression. It exemplifies Rand’s groundbreaking achievements in the construction of contemporary Jewish iconography, affirming his position as a relentlessly innovative artist.
Multimedia artist G. Peter Jemison (Seneca, Heron Clan), has had a career that spans decades and nations, influencing generations of contemporary Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists alike. His artwork depicts his personal experience of Haudenosaunee culture, the tensions between Euro-American and Indigenous American ways of life, and the ongoing struggle for Native American land rights restoration.
Local artist Tara Merenda Nelson’s handmade cinema is not about showing the world as it is but about offering a cinematic encounter with that world. Her FourMats exhibition includes two multimedia installations that combine four formats—16mm film, super 8 film, slide film, and HD video—to construct a single image of the Kodak tower in downtown Rochester and the moon. Both works are an inquiry into perception and projection, using iconic imagery to reveal the distinct visual qualities of each projected format.
now on view in the Hurlbut Gallery
Rochester has its own graffiti legends, none more esteemed than the collective FUA (pronounced “fwah”) KREW. Though many members of FUA KREW have dispersed over the years, becoming ambassadors for Rochester and building their international recognition, our city remains the center of their work.
learn more
Argentum: Double-Positive by Jim Sanborn consists of two bronze projection cylinders in front of MAG’s 1913 building. These cylinders are perforated with a series of texts that light up at night and project onto the facade and surrounding landscape at MAG. The texts highlight the creativity and invention that have been the core industry of the City of Rochester for decades.
learn more
Always open – always free.
Four major artists were commissioned to create site specific work for Centennial Sculpture Park. Wendell Castle’s Unicorn Family provides an outdoor grouping of chairs, a table, and a lamp for visitors who like to sit and enjoy the passing scene. Jackie Ferrara created Marking Crossways, geometric pathways and cameos leading from the ‘quarry’ area to the front entrance of MAG. Tom Otterness, known internationally for his engaging installations created Creation Myth, two heroic figures at the corner of Goodman and University Street as well as 17 diminutive bronze muses scattered throughout the Park. Albert Paley installed Soliloquy, a colorful 25-foot stainless steel sculpture at the Goodman Street entrance. shown: detail, Albert Paley, Soliloquy (2013). Gift of the Cameros Family and Ann Mowris Mulligan, with additional support from Bank of America Charitable Foundation, FULL MEA5URE, the Herdle-Moore Fund, the Rubens Family Foundation, and the Clara and Edwin Strasenburgh Fund.
photo: Brandon Vick.
