Jasmine Harper has danced with the stars. From Jennifer Lopez and Ciara to Usher and Ne-Yo, Harper has shared the stage with prominent artists, but her “I made it” moment came when she was asked to tour with Beyoncé. “She’s amazing — the ultimate professional,” said Harper, a Henrietta native. “Seeing her give 125% every night drove us, not only when we were onstage, but in every other area of our lives.” Harper’s touring experience was complemented by music videos, including Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and “Formation.” Years before dancing next to Beyoncé, Harper took classes at Little Red Dance Studio in Spencerport, often spending six hours a day there after school. That dedication led to her becoming a finalist on season 10 of “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2013, an experience she considers one of her favorites. “We were just dancers who loved to dance, and it was our first time imprinting what we do on the world,” she said. “I danced for audiences before, but cameras pick up every little thing.” Another “So You Think You Can Dance” alum, Webster’s Teddy Coffey, discovered a love for the camera while working in Los Angeles. With music video credits including Justin Timberlake and Meghan Trainor, [...]

 Geoffrey Dorfman's biography of painter Milton Resnick (1917-2004)I only met Milton Resnick once, and that was at a gallery opening so we didn't have much time to talk, I was impressed though by his eloquence.  Now,  I have just finished reading Geoff Dorfman's new book on Resnick and once again I am impressed by this account!  I knew Geoff Dorfman because we were both students at The Cooper Union in the early 1970s, and even then I  was aware that Dorfman had struck up a  friendship with Milton Resnick.  Around Resnick were many artist types who either taught classes at Cooper Union or were in gallery shows that I would frequent - this was at the very beginning of  the SoHo era (1970-1990 )!What is really wonderful about Dorfman's writing is that he captures the sounds and atmosphere of New York City and the art world as it opens its doors to a wave of abstraction from the 1950s onward.  You can get a picture of that from just looking at the photo ( see above ) on the cover of this book, which I highly recommend!  Take the time to read the story and you will have a strong [...]

The newest film from South Korean master Lee Chang-dong is just waiting to detonate. Instead, the plot of “Possible Love” simmers as a documentary project brings two families on different ends of a violent workers’ strike suppression together.  Director Lee’s films always have a slow burn (his most recent feature from 2018 was named “Burning,” after all), building up to a moment of devastation or actualization for his protagonists. With his newest cinematic work, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and played at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the devastation all comes from the past as the characters struggle to reckon with it in the present and strain to find a bright future.  Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong) is a first-time documentarian seeking to document the decline of labor in South Korea, pitching her project to a grant board. But aside from government funding, Ye-ji receives support from her wealthy husband, Sang-woo (Zo In-sung), who spends most of the film’s runtime on his phone, buying and flipping companies for millions of dollars. The novice filmmaker finds Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), a former SP Heavy Industries worker, and his wife, Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon). Ye-ji has noble intentions but increasingly starts to view this [...]

Lake Cayuga, Sunday, October 18, 2026Gorgeous day for the Finger Lakes, and off we go! It may seem far-fetched, but we are on the road to see an exhibition by our friend Gillian Pederson-Krag. When we first met, she was teaching in the School of Art & Architecture at Cornell University. The amazing thing is - that was 53 years ago and she is still an active artist today!Trumansburg Conservatory, Trumansburg, New YorkWe have a chance to chat with Gillian and see her exhibition which is part of a Fall Invitational at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts. Gillian published a beautiful catalog of her recent paintings for this show and from our perspective the art is terrific! The last time we saw Gillian and her art was at The Village Gallery in Caledonia, and that was years ago!Gillian Pederson-Krag oil painting of Corciano Landscape, 2026Gillian is a master of still life and landscape, both of which are on view in this exhibition. She has a delicate touch and a great feeling for atmosphere. One of the strongest statements in this show is a little trio of paintings that grab the [...]

Merry Christmas Eve! Tonight, some of you will be going to a Christmas vigil mass and will probably hear a retelling of the birth of Jesus. It is a familiar story with some key elements - Jesus in a manger, shepherds in a field, and three kings bearing gifts to the newborn child. With these key points, the story is complete, but it was not always this way. The nativity story that we are familiar with today is actually a composite narrative of canonical and non-canonical writings. In the early years of Christianity, the Church leaders spread this hybrid tale to the masses through art, which Pope Gregory the Great described as “the Bible of the illiterate." The Dijion Nativity by Robert Campin is an example of several nativity stories melded into one. Campin pulled from the canonical gospel of Luke, the non-canonical gospels of Pseudo-James and Pseudo-Matthew, and the popular (at the time) vision of Saint Bridget of Sweden. Dijion Nativity, Robert Campin, c. 1420 Shepherds from Portinari Altarpiece, Hugo van der Goes, c. 1475 The three shepherds peering in at Jesus are from the canonical gospel of Luke. Each of the gospel writers played towards their audience. Luke wrote in Asia [...]

If my calculations are correct, you probably got your midterm research paper back a couple weeks ago, and it was covered with red pen marks. With only four short weeks left before your final paper is due, you're wondering how you can improve your writing to boost your grade for this last assignment. Below, I have listed some of the most common mistakes you should look out for while editing your paper. This is a lengthy post, with no pictures, but I promise it will be helpful for you art history students out there. 1. Using “WH” words outside of a question Who, what, where, when, why, and how. In everyday conversation we say things like “that is where I bought my watch” or “this is how you tie a shoe.” However, in a formal paper, “wh” words should only be used when posing a question. So, if this was a formal paper, that last sentence would be a mistake. I could rephrase it as “…words should only be used if posing a question.” I don't bother making that edit here on the blog because I want to have a conversational tone, but I would never (knowingly) submit a paper with that [...]

Wheeling Community: Exploring Rochester's Little Known Public Art by Kitty Jospé On Sunday, May 3, over 80 people joined Bleu Cease, Executive Director/Curator at RoCo and Photographer Richard Margolis for a tour of eight hidden treasures of public art. This tour, in conjunction with the current exhibit, “Ride It: Art and Bicycles in Rochester” at Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) celebrated the idea of “slow art” and a chance to notice not only what we often are hurrying by, but to think of larger implications of how we live in our environment. It is heart-warming to join with others on a sunny spring day, and discover art and the stories and contexts behind it—and this incredible dividend: No, not the sounds of trains, or the way sculptures frame fascinating details of buildings, but a sense of feeling connected to others, and connected to our city. Did you know Rochester has had Liberty Poles at the same site since 1830? What a surprise to arrive on site-specific six-part Rochester Project, by Richard Fleischner. It is a magnificent outdoor amphitheatre, looking out on three stone lattices, all the same size but with variations on [...]

“A photograph presents the artist and the viewer with a challenge, because we always want to know what it is—as if the photograph were not there. For over 165 years, an extraordinary number of forces have made us instinctively believe that photographs are windows on reality—even when reason tells us otherwise.” — Carl Chiarenza, 2013 lecture excerpt A photograph of you is not you. It is, in fact, an illusion. That simple viewpoint is perhaps the cornerstone of famed photographer Carl Chiarenza's body of work—and his role as a mentor to other artists. “It's not unreasonable for people who are interested in photography to accept what has been broadcast since the 1830s, which is that the photograph captures reality, actuality,” Carl says. "Mulligan Print," by Carl Chiarenza. Carl's work has been shown around the world and can be found in the collections of more than 50 museums, including The Getty Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. “From my point of view, it never did that. Every photograph is an abstraction.” That perspective has so informed his work, he avoids some of the [...]

Rochester musician and SUNY Potsdam student Mikaela Davis plays a semi-grand harp, one size down from a concert grand. When she first began to play as a child, she started on a smaller-style troubador harp. “I've always known I wanted to go to school for music,” she says. “I wanted to be a professional harpist in an orchestra and teach harp at a college—until my own music became my main focus.” (photo by Aaron Winters) Let's play word association. “Harpist.” Go. Did you respond with “pop-music newcomer”? You will. Rochester-born Mikaela Davis knows how to show a harp who's boss. Backed by a mix of guitar, keyboards, and her own lilting vocals, Mikaela has deftly plucked a classic instrument out of its past. Spun it into a modern sound. And wrapped it in sparkling lights, ready for download. Her self-titled debut album came out in 2012, and she describes it as indie-pop. Just the same, she's hesitant to commit to a category. “I don't like to put myself in a genre. The music we're doing now, it's nothing like my first album. We went something that's more psychedelic rock on the new EP,” Mikaela says. Brian Moore, audio engineer and owner of Red Booth [...]

The Beauty of Gray: Scapes exhibit showcases video art that's not all black and whiteby Geoff Graser If you don't “get it” right away, Debora and Jason Bernagozzi understand. When the couple tells people they do video art, most people say, “Oh, you do commercials.” Nope. “Oh, you do those weird foreign movies.” Not exactly. The Bernagozzis' art form is more like abstract art—abstract art that moves and talks and sometimes chirps. The Bernagozzis' work is part of RoCo's “Scapes” exhibit on display until Sunday, November 13. On my first try, I didn't exactly “get it.” And that's all right, Jason says, that's partly his point. He thinks Americans are spoon fed so many messages through the media and popular art that people believe what others want them to believe rather than making up their own minds. This echoes some of the work of Nam June Paik, considered the father of video art for his innovations in the 1960s. Paik would take footage of the Beatles and manipulate the waves so the Fab Four would disintegrate. He did this with politicians and other TV celebrities, hoping to convince viewers that the people on TV weren't indestructible gods. So you're not alone if you [...]