28th Arts & Crafts Conference in Western New York: Rochester and Environs

In executing the 2025 Arts & Crafts Conference in Central New York, it became clear to IAC that the weight of Movement history and the wealth of Movement expressions in Rochester & environs made compelling a return to New York State in 2026. Rochester was an active center for the Movement in the United States. Critically acclaimed artists such as M. Louise Stowell and Harvey Ellis co-founded the Rochester Arts and Crafts Society in 1897, likely the Nation’s first, predating that in Boston by several months, and contributed significantly to the Movement's growth and educational legacy. Stowell, an instructor at the Mechanics Institute (the forerunner of the Rochester Institute of Technology [RIT]), wrote in 1892 in an article for the Educational Gazette, a periodical for teachers that “Nothing should be careless in ornament or design, but should be faithfully thought out and patiently evolved,” arguably an unsurpassed articulation of the Movement’s ethos.

In IAC's 28th Annual Arts and Crafts Conference, we delve into Rochester, Buffalo and environs, which are rich in expressions of the Arts and Crafts Movement and its ongoing manifestations. Notably, these works were produced in a region of the country that was, and remains, receptive to reform in its many dimensions. We look at buildings and objects, and explore the creative communities, artisan guilds and enterprising firms that produced them, while striving to uncover the ethical and social dimensions of the Movement and their salience for today's culture.

Sites confirmed thus far include(more updates to come):

· The George Eastman Estate and Museum

The George Eastman Museum, the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949. Located on the estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Company, the estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and the museum is world-renowned for its collections in the fields of photography and cinema. The museum is also a leader in film preservation and photograph conservation, educating archivists and conservators from around the world.

In 1902, Eastman purchased property on East Avenue and hired architect J. Foster Warner (1859 – 1937) to build a Roman brick Colonial Revival mansion, featuring a classical portico and including Georgian, Dutch, and Greek elements with limestone accents. William Rutherford Mead of McKim, Mead & White designed the interior while Francis Bacon of the A.H. Davenport Company was responsible for executing most of the interior decoration and furniture. The home featured modern conveniences such as an electrical generator, an internal telephone system a built-in vacuum cleaning system, a central clock network, an elevator, and a great pipe organ. The home itself was a center of the city’s rich musical life from its 1905 completion until Eastman’s death in 1932. Eastman was deeply involved in the construction, paying close attention to detail and requiring the use of high-quality materials. Also featuring eight gardens, five greenhouses, a dairy, an orchard, a berry patch, a poultry yard, a toolshed, a barn, stables, and livestock pastures, it was as much “a self-contained urban farm as it was an elegant estate” (SAH Archipedia, accessed September 29, 2025).

· The East Avenue Historic District

This refers to the Rochester neighborhood centered on East Avenue noted for its stately architecture, from the grand mansions on East Avenue itself to the smaller but still impressive homes along its side streets, in styles including Queen Anne, Italianate, Second Empire, Gothic Revival, Strick-Eastlake, Shingle, neo-Classical, and Tudor. Many of the mansions remain single-family homes; for example, the Frank Lloyd Wright House is located on East Boulevard and remains in private hands.

· Genesee Country Village and Museum

A living museum of 19th-century history, this site was conceived and founded in 1966 by art collector John (Jack) L. Wehle. He recognized that the work of regional carpenters, master builders, and housewrights was fast disappearing from the landscape. The museum was to be a village of selected examples of 19th-century Genesee Country architecture that demonstrated not only form but also function, serving as a showcase of the disciplines of cabinetry, weaving, pottery, and other arts that would be displayed in appropriate cultural context. Because the original interpretation and installation of the Village have been revisited considering ongoing research, the site is an important case study in the dynamics of reinterpretation.

· The Roycroft Campus

The Roycroft Campus was founded in 1895 in East Aurora, NY. Roycroft founder Elbert Hubbard, influenced by William Morris, was an early champion of the Arts & Crafts ethos in the United States, and the Roycroft movement strongly influenced American architecture and design in the early 20th century. The “Roycroft Campus” includes nine remaining original buildings.

· The Wendell Castle Workshop

The Wendell Castle Workshop (18 Maple St, Scottsville, NY 14546) continues to foster innovation, education, and appreciation for art, craft, and design. For over 50 years, this studio was the creative home of Wendell Castle (1932–2018), one of America's most influential artists and widely recognized as the father of the American Studio Furniture movement. Here, Castle conceived and created virtually all of his masterworks, pioneering an approach to furniture that merged sculpture, craftsmanship, and design. His innovative use of stack-laminated wood and embrace of new materials and technologies transformed contemporary furniture and inspired generations of artists around the world.

For a decade, this building was also Wendell Castle's home. His former living room is now a gallery featuring select iconic works alongside ceramic sculptures by his widow, acclaimed artist Nancy Jurs, illuminating the dialogue between two distinguished artists.

The studio is also the home of the Wendell Castle Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and advancing Castle's legacy, including the Wendell Castle Workshop, where artists and makers participate in residencies and educational programs, and the Wendell Castle Archives, which house materials chronicling Castle's creative process, and make them accessible.

· Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

In 1847, The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) owes its founding to the merger of two smaller institutions – the Rochester Athenaeum, an association aimed at “cultivating and promoting literature, science, and the arts”, and the Mechanics Literary Association, which became the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute. In 1944, the institution began issuing degrees and was renamed The Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1950 the institution became home to what is now the School for American Crafts, which stressed liberal and creative arts, not just technical ability. The university has gone on to build a renowned art and design program, home to many distinguished practitioners, among them esteemed woodworker and furniture designer Wendell Castle who taught and served as an artist-in-residence throughout the latter half of the 20th century. An attestation to the school’s stature and a result of faculty relationships, acclaimed designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli donated their archive to the University in 2010.

· The Darwin D. Martin House

The Darwin D. Martin House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1907 as the primary home for Darwin D. Martin, a prominent Buffalo-based businessman, and his wife, Isabelle R. Martin. The house, including its stained glass windows and important interiors, is a majestic expression of Wright's work. Today, the museum features a newer visitor center, designed by Toshiko Mori.

· The Graycliff Estate

The Graycliff Estate, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1926 and 1931 for Darwin D. Martin and his wife, Isabelle R. Martin, served as the Martin's summer home on the coast of Lake Erie, outside of Buffalo, with its architecture reflecting its intended purpose and revealing a lighter hand.

A discounted block of rooms has been reserved at The Strathallan Rochester Hotel & Spa, 550 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14607

Booking Link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/arts-and-crafts-stay-strathallan/