So we just read a portion of an article from the local paper (there will probably be another article here on the fact that we could only read a portion of it, but we digress) that was emailed to us with a subject line that read: Poor Art Center!

The aforementioned article was addressing the fact that the Rochester Art Center was looking to the city of Rochester to get an increase in their funding that would bring the total annual city contribution to $230,000. That is a lot of goddamn money! Especially considering that the Art Center (which happens to be inappropriately named because it's hardly the center of anything) seems to be a harbor for pretentious art-o-philes and want-to-be up and comers.

In a space that we would certainly deem beautiful, the staff at the Rochester Art Center has effectively alienated the majority of it's immediate audience by continuing to curate minimal shows that highlight established artists from around the country. With a vision statement that reads; "To be a cultural center for innovation and creativity through contemporary art" the Art Center has completely missed the boat on reaching their target market. While we are certain that this institution would be a great success in a larger, metropolitan environment, the fact that they've taken this approach in the quiet, working class community that is Rochester is beyond us.

It's no secret that one-third of Rochester's population is employed by the same company (read:The Coal Mine). That means that one in every three houses is occupied by someone who pulls a paycheck from the same company. Our neighbors, on either side work in The Coal Mine and we know that neither dwelling has occupants that give a shit about what happens at the Art Center. In fact, in all the outreach we've done with cycling and the like, we've gotten to know quite a few people that don't really care about the Art Center.

Perhaps we have it all wrong and they actually do, or would, care about what goes on there? We suppose there is no real way to tell, but we do know this, attendance at the Art Center is way down. Their hours of operation are minimal and their staff is bare bones. Their openings for events are filled with an air of pretension and often include "artist talks" that sail over the heads of those in attendance.

We'll give them some credit though as they've recently added a "local" exhibition series that included work from one of our very own. However, the series seems to be a load of lip service that has been relegated to a corner room that was once a classroom on the Center's uppermost floor.

We certainly don't have all the answers and have never claimed to, but we do know this: Most people in Rochester don't care about what happens in, or around the Art Center and most likely never will. The staff there has isolated itself in its Ivory (actually copper) Tower and still has the audacity to pander to the city for more money. In our opinion, $230,000 could actually do some good around this community. Why not use it to fund local artists who are barely getting by because they can't show anything locally? Why not use it to build back some of the 30 miles of Mountain Bike trails that the city has taken or squandered away? Why not use it to better sign some of the paved trails in the community? Why not?