The Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition (RFLX), a long-running showcase for artists from western and central New York, returns to the Memorial Art Gallery for its 66th installment during the summer of
2019. The eagerly anticipated biannual juried exhibition was skipped the summer of 2017 to accommodate the expansion and renovation of MAG’s largest special exhibition space, the newly named Docent Gallery. The next installment of the exhibition, on view from June 9 through September 15, 2019, is being juried by Marilyn Zapf, the Assistant Director and Curator at the Center for Craft, a national arts nonprofit headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina.
Every two years, Rochester’s oldest and longest-running juried exhibition showcases the talents of emerging and established artists from a 27-county region. These artists are eligible for cash awards, among them the $1,500 Memorial Art Gallery Award, selected by the juror; the Alice Koret Award, presented by museum docents; and the Harris Popular Vote Award, selected by visitors during the first two weeks of the exhibition. In 2019, artists are eligible for nine cash prizes totaling more than $6,000. The first eight will be announced June 8 at the members’ opening party; the popular vote award will be announced June 25, 2019.
Invitation to artists
Artists are invited to submit works of art for consideration by the juror, Marilyn Zapf, for inclusion in the
exhibition. To be considered, artists must be 18 or older and reside in one of these 27 counties: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Genesee, Erie, Livingston, Madison Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming or Yates. Submissions will be accepted from January 18, 2019 – Friday, March 1, 2019 at 12 am.
Awards
- Memorial Art Gallery Award (Award of Excellence); selected by the juror ($1,500)
- Alice E. Koret/Docent Award, given in memory of Alice E. Koret by Dr. Sidney Koret, friends and family; selected by a MAG docent ($1,000)
- Gertrude Herdle Moore/Isabel Herdle Award, given by the Gallery Council of the MAG; selected by the juror ($500)
- Louis D’Amanda Memorial Award, given by family of Louis D’Amanda in memory of his grandfather;
selected by the juror ($500) - Elmer Louis Award, given in memory of Mr. Louis by his family; selected by the juror ($600)
- Ronan Christopher Louis Award, given in memory of Ronan Christopher Louis (2010–2013) by his family; selected by the juror ($500)
- Oxford Gallery Award; selected by the juror ($500)
- Rochester Contemporary Art Center Award; selected by the juror ($500)
- Harris Popular Vote Award, given in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Manville S. Harris to the artist whose work receives the most votes from visitors during the first two weeks of the exhibition ($500)
This exhibition is sponsored by M&T Bank, with additional support provided by the Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation, the Rubens Family Foundation, and the Margaret Davis Friedlich and Alan and Sylvia Davis Memorial Fund.
About the Juror for the 66th RFLX
Marilyn Zapf is the Assistant Director and Curator at the Center for Craft, a national arts nonprofit headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. She has curated a number of exhibitions including the nationally traveling Michael Sherrill Retrospective (Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, 2018); Made in WNC (Center for Craft, Asheville, NC, 2015), and Gee’s Bend: From Quilts to Prints (Center for Craft, Asheville, NC, 2014). Ms. Zapf is a trustee of the American Crafts Council, a program advisor for the MA in Critical and Historical Craft Studies program at Warren Wilson College, and has published articles and reviews in international publications, including Art Jewelry Forum and Crafts Magazine (UK). She holds an MA in the History of Design from the Royal College of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, and a BA (English Literature)and BFA (Jewelry and Metalworking) from The University of Georgia. Her areas of research include craft, postmodernism, and de/industrialization.
History of the exhibition
In March 1914, just five months after opening its doors, the Memorial Art Gallery hosted its first Rochester Art Club (RAC) exhibition; the yearly show had been a fixture of the local art scene for three decades, growing steadily in size and scope. It took its current name in 1938, when it expanded to encompass not just RAC members but also artists living in 19 counties of western New York. More changes were in store. These days, the Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition generally takes place every two years and serves a 27-county area.
One thing hasn’t changed, however: because of the competitive nature of the show, only a small percentage of works submitted are chosen. As a result, the exhibition remains a prestigious showcase for artists in western and central New York. Past award winners, many of whom have gone on to establish national reputations, have included Wendell Castle, Albert Paley, Honoré Sharrer, Hans Christensen, Bill Stewart, Graham Marks, and Kathy Calderwood.