I crush on autumn so hard. You must understand, my fellow art
enthusiasts, that besides being the moody, cozy-layering, tea-drinking time
that it is, fall is also when my desk fills up with previews for exhibits
taking place now through the springtime. There’s so much to be excited about in
the coming year — interesting concepts, shiny new talents, and plenty to move
and inspire viewers — that I’ve had countless bookmark-it-now moments, and have
resolved to see as much as possible. The following preview gives you a little
peek into some of the shows I’m stoked to see, but make sure to check the art
listings at rochestercitynewspaper.com/events for a more complete schedule of
openings and exhibits.

As the school year begins again and university galleries
resume their programming, the art openings list fattens up and First Friday
treks get more exciting. School galleries present the work of faculty,
students, and visiting artists, enhancing the learning process and giving the
public a glimpse into the world of emerging artists. And there’s no lack of
school galleries in Rochester; each
of the many area educational institutions boasts one or several spaces.

SUNY Geneseo’sLockhart Gallery (1 College Circle, Geneseo)
will host “New York State Revolutionary War Sites: The Pastels of J Erwin
Porter” October 22-December 3, offering us the chance to meditate on the
concept of time healing great wounds. SUNY Brockport presents two bodies of
work February 24-March 3 in the Tower Art Center Gallery (180 Holley
St., Brockport, brockport.edu): Lucinda Devlin’s “The Omega Suites” is a photo
show that grapples with the ethical issues of prisons and capital punishment in
America, and “On and Off the Wall: Paper as Art” is a group show that explores
the dimensional and organic possibilities of the material. The spring will see
the return of the area-wide collaborative exhibition “Thaw,” including a show at
Roberts Wesleyan’s Davison Gallery (2301 Westside Drive, roberts.edu)
subtitled “Realms and Origins” and featuring Jim Condron
and Alberto Rey March 5-April 5.

Because Rochester
is known as the ImageCity,
we have very dedicated photography museums and galleries that regularly offer
shows ranging from curated studies of images of historic import to shows by local
professionals and hobbyists. Joining Image City Photography Gallery, George
Eastman House, and the Community Darkroom at the GeneseeCenter for the Arts and Education,
is the newest space, the Spectrum Gallery, tucked inside the new
location of Lumiere Photo (100
College Ave., 461-4447). Through October 31 you
can catch Frances Paley’s work on the walls. The George Eastman House (900
East Ave., eastmanhouse.org) will feature an
exhibition of photographs from the W. M. Hunt Collection entitled “The Unseen
Eye: Photographs from the Unconscious” October 1-February 19. The common theme
of this intriguing show is the averted, hidden, or closed eyes of the suddenly
more enigmatic subjects.

Other trusty, in-the-city museums and galleries include the MemorialArtGallery,
RochesterContemporaryArtCenter,
Visual Studies Workshop, Booksmart Studio, FourWalls Gallery, the GeneseeCenter for the Arts and Education,
the Oxford Gallery, and countless studio galleries in the Hungerford and
Anderson Alley, all with impressive shows coming up or taking shape. Through
October 8 at the Oxford Gallery (267 Oxford St.,
oxfordgallery.com) is a show of unspeakably lovely Tonalist
works in “American Tone Poem.” On September 16 the Firehouse Gallery at
the GeneseeCenter
(713 Monroe Ave.,
geneseearts.org) will open “History in the Making VI: Ceramic Traditions —
Contemporary Objects,” an exhibition juried by fantastic sculptor Bill Stewart.
The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., mag.rochester.edu) will
present “Extreme Materials 2” this fall, showcasing works by 41 American,
Canadian, and German artists who created masterful works using insects,
condoms, packing tape, breakfast cereal, and other unexpected media. The show
runs October 23-January 15, with an opening party October 22, 8-11 p.m.

The “alternative spaces” — i.e. galleries that exist
inside other businesses — hold their own as well, and include the Williams
Gallery in the First Unitarian Church, the Central Library’s Lower Link
Gallery, Lux Lounge, the Bug Jar, The Little Theatre Cafรฉ, The Gallery @ Equal
Grounds, the Record Archive, and countless other bars, salons, and coffee
houses. Don’t forget the “homeless” galleries: 1975 Gallery, which
frequents Surface Salon and Booksmart Studio, will
present “1975 x Surface 3-Year Anniversary Group Show” at the salon (658
South Ave., 1975ish.com), October 8-31. Through
October 3, the WilliamsGallery (220 S. Winton Road,
rochesterunitarian.org) currently presents “April in Paris,
Autumn in New York,”
with works painted in each location by John Wiesenthal. Following that, local
art group Creative Hue will have the walls, October 7-November 14, followed by “From
Big to Small: In Awe,” by Larry Eldridge and John Solberg, November 18-January
2.

We’re sure to suffer from cabin fever as the winter deepens,
but remember that you’re a snow-pro Rochesterian
who’s used to trekking the pseudo tundra. So don the boots, layer the
swaddling, and take in a show or two a bit outside of the city limits. Besides
some of the far-flung university galleries, many additional art houses include
the Finger Lakes Gallery and Frame in Canandaigua, the MillArtCenter
in HoneoyeFalls,
and OckHee’s Gallery, also
in HoneyoeFalls.
Currently up at OckHee’s,
through October 22, is “Healing at Day’s End,” a show of colorful mixed-media
work with elements of sacred geometry and biology by late artist Stephanie Kirschen Cole, who died in the spring after a four-year
battle with cancer.

For a full listing of
the 2011-2012 visual arts season visit the 2011 Fall Guide at
rochestercitynewspaper.com.

This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2011.