A Studio of Her Own

by Taryn

It's amazing how long you can live in a city and not realize how much it has to offer. A short time ago, I learned about the Anderson Alley Artists, a group that has existed since 1996. They're a collective of artists whose studios occupy three floors of a renovated factory building in the cultural district of Rochester, NY. And every month from October to June they hold an open house called "2nd Saturdays." Who knew?!

We were very curious to find out what the buzz was about, so Jan and I stopped by the studios during a recent open house. We managed to find the somewhat hidden back door and followed the signs up the stairs, and proceeded to make our way around the three floors in a somewhat orderly manner, attempting to take it all in. Each studio's distinct personality seeped out into the hall--strange collages covering doorframes and unique signs enticing viewers to come inside and peruse. Outside one studio was a chaise lounge-type chair made of a discarded shopping cart. How's that for intriguing?

Every fine art seems to be represented at Anderson Alley. There are folks from the painting world, ceramics, textiles, photography, jewelry and beadwork, mixed media, bookbinding, the lettering arts, and a lot more. It's a visual feast and the atmosphere is far more relaxed than a museum. There's also the added bonus that each artist is on hand to answer questions about their work, hand you their card or brochure, or simply engage in dialogues with the curious. The group also holds a drawing for door prizes, which are donated by the artists--and much to our delight, Jan won a beautiful journal! (Aren't we crafty gals lucky?!) And if you need a bit more encouragement to get out, there are also stations along the hallway with free snacks and refreshments, giving energy to weary patrons. Talk about incentives…

Watercolor painter, Patricia Wygant, has had her studio in the building for 10 years, and before that she rented office space where there weren't other artists around. "The creative benefits here are certainly enhanced by being an active participant in a community of artists," she tells us. "We share ideas, discuss problems, and so on." She's also grateful for the opportunity 2nd Saturdays provides for the artists. "It's an easy way to expose our work to the public. We can talk to them about ourselves, our goals, and our work. And we certainly can, and do, make contacts. But it also lets us react to the viewing public, without the obstructions often created by gallery owners." And she knows, because she's been painting and exhibiting her work in Rochester for almost 50 years. (She recently celebrated her 75th birthday. Happy Birthday, Pat!)

The Academy Building by Pat Wygant

Looking at the long list of artists who belong to the Anderson Alley group, you might notice that the vast majority of them are female--approximately 85%, in fact. When I inquired about this, Mrs. Wygant didn't claim to know the more complex reason for it, but she did say, "[The simplest response is that] there are more women artists here because there are more women artists in Rochester. I am a member of the Rochester Art Club and the Arena Art Group, and each of these groups is [comprised of] almost entirely women. And as I have done watercolor demonstrations over the years for most of the suburban and Buffalo/Niagara Falls groups, the same dominance seems apparent when I observe the audiences there." Curious, I thought--so does this mean there are actually more female artists than male, or does it simply indicate that male artist are more loner-types? Either way, there are definitely a lot more women artists out there than you'd think, so why, then, aren't there more famous women artists in the public consciousness along with Georgia O'Keefe and Frida Kahlo. Hopefully crafty gals worldwide will join artist groups like these and continue to spread the word.

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