Jane Schoenbrun's third feature, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” is a fitting entrant in their filmography lineup. As a fairly new filmmaker who has begun to make a name for themself in the industry, Schoenbrun is interested in how gender and identity themes can be tied to the media we consume. Their first feature, “We're All Going to the World's Fair” (2021), focused on those who spend their time online, while 2024's “I Saw the TV Glow” centered on a popular TV show and the characters' attachment to it. “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” deconstructs the slasher genre, to which Schoenbrun shows great reverence. From the title on down, the film plays with horror tropes, puts them under a microscope and weaves them into an updated take on the camp slasher. While it will likely land best with those in the audience who can pick up on every wink and nudge thrown their way, it's Schoenbrun's most accessible film. The opening credits perfectly encapsulate what “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” is all about, charting the evolution most horror franchises face in a lifetime. There are newspaper clippings of rave reviews, headlines about box office [...]

Even with the continued rise in features about Rochester and its many contributions to the local, national and international, it can still feel like there's only two notable Rochesterians — or three, if you think a little more on it. It cannot be overstated how impactful the contributions of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and George Eastman were; that said, they're not the only people who lived and left their mark here. Continuing the series started in last year's August issue, here are 10 (more) historical Rochesterians who don't always get the recognition they deserve. Leo Lyons (1892-1976) Born in Fairport, Lyons was an avid athlete who played semi-pro football for one of the many city teams in his teens. He was a player/manager by his early 20s, and at his most involved, he served as manager, owner, photographer, doctor, counselor, financier, game booker, agent, scout and groundskeeper. By 1920, he traveled to Canton, Ohio to represent Rochester in talks to form a professional league for football teams. His team was the Rochester Jeffersons, and they became charter members of the National Football League (active 1920-1925). When the team folded, Lyons served as honorary historian for the league until his death in [...]

"Edward Steichen And The Garden"at The George Eastman Housethru September 6, 2026Up from Brooklyn, New York, my brother, Paul Singer, stopped in for a summer visit, and we went out on a sunny day to The George Eastman House, and then later to The Memorial Art Gallery. Paul is a graphic designer and artist, so we like to go and see what is on view in the museums. I grew up in a family of artists and we are always curious about visual culture, and this week in Rochester, there are many reasons to go out and see the exhibitions.In my early years working in the arts, I was very involved as a botanical artist, so naturally I wanted to see the show now at The George Eastman House featuring "Edward Steichen And The Garden". Paul and I were both surprised to see paintings made by the American photographer, Edward Steichen, and we were really in awe of the work he did as a gardener who went way beyond the norm and developed award winning varieties of Delphiniums - beautiful tall flowers that were once presented at The Museum of Modern Art! ( See photo [...]

At Rochester Contemporary137 East AvenueRochester, New YorkHere we are at the beginning of a new season, and the art community here is a buzz. Talking with Bleu Cease, the seasoned Director at Rochester Contemporary, he mentions that this is the 19th year for the 6 x 6 show that recently opened at 137 East Avenue. He said that this year there is slightly more than 6000 entries for the show which is now up on the gallery walls! You could say that there is really something for everyone in this year's exhibition. At $20 per piece you could start an art collection, or add to the one you have already started!Great variety at the 2026 Summer Show for 6 x 6Since it is my birthday, I treat myself to a couple of interesting works of art, and I have just the right place in mind for them at my studio! It is remarkable what people can do with such a small dimension of 6 inches by 6 inches! I look for the standouts, these are the pieces which I find are memorable, but you might have already passed them up! I know [...]

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 [...]