No matter the medium, an artist’s work is her own language. Painter Kathy Clem took that a step further. She invented her own alphabet. “If you’re an artist, you have to have a style, or that’s what everybody says, anyways,” Clem said. “But I decided not to have a style. I wanted to learn a […]
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inCulture
George Eastman Museum staffers move to unionize
Once home to the Eastman Kodak Co. founder, the local institution is the latest in a string of museums nationally to see an organizing push.
Posted inTheater
REVIEW | ‘A Chorus Line’
Imagine if a job interview turned into a therapy session: “OK, your resume looks great, now tell us your childhood traumas.” What would be a cruel hiring process makes excellent theater. Every character desperately wants the job, and they’re willing to sing, dance and get vulnerable. That’s the premise of “A Chorus Line,” playing now […]
Posted inRochester Fringe Festival
CITY’s 2026 Fringe picks
The 15th annual ESL Rochester Fringe Festival kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 15. One of the largest Fringes in the country happens right here for 12 days each year. But with more than 700 shows, it can be tough for attendees to choose what to experience. Pro tip: there’s a handy show finder right on the […]
Posted inRochester Fringe Festival
Five drag nuns walk into a gay bar in standout Fringe premiere ‘Mass Drag’
The photo of James Lopata’s parents meeting Pope John Paul II hangs near his front door but somehow doesn’t command attention. Lopata’s paternal grandmother grew up with John Paul in Wadowice, Poland, so he had a family connection. When he mentions the pin his mother wore to greet the pontiff, the scene becomes downright revolutionary. […]
Posted inDance
The 2026-27 season goes back to the barre
From the classroom to the stage, Rochester’s fall dance lineup puts students, teachers and storytellers in the spotlight.
Posted inTheater
Nostalgia and feel-good picks permeate this season’s theatrical lineup
We live in uncertain times. The AI technological revolution has many wondering (and worrying) about the future. One of the more optimistic speculations is that if AI becomes more widespread, theater will have a resurgence: people will long for a space away from screens in the company of other humans more than ever. But a […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The artist burning wood to reach ‘Elevated Places’
The walls of ARTISANworks pop with fine-art paintings, kitschy collectibles and even a pinhole camera built from a Tibetan skull. This month, the art-dense venue will also be home to woodworks that channel ancient mythology and wisdom via earthy presentation. “Elevated Places,” a gallery event on August 8 presented by the Rochester Black Arts Council, […]
Posted inPhoto essays
The 19th-century sandlot in Mumford
By the time you’ve traversed through the 68 buildings that make up the circa 19th-century Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCVM) and made your way to the furthest point of the 600-acre grounds, your brain may be convinced you’ve traveled back in time. Especially once you step through a wooded tree line and beneath an […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Circus in the City’ anchors Rochester Fringe Festival 2026 lineup
There can be no ESL Rochester Fringe Festival without the Spiegeltent, the signature mirrored hall that houses many of its shows. Indeed, the Spiegeltent will return for the fest in September. But this year’s Fringe also brings a slew of outdoor acrobatics, trapeze and aerial arts performances to downtown venues like Parcel 5 and Gibbs […]
Posted inTheater
REVIEW | ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at Highland Bowl
In the era of AI slop and bot accounts, it’s easy to be nostalgic for the Internet of yore — somewhere around 2015, before courts were weighing the damage social media companies have done to youth and when influencers were still somewhat novel. That long-ago year is the setting for a phone-obsessed “The Taming of […]
