Saints Preserve Us | The Yards | Exhibition + Discussion | FREE

is collaborating with and the curators of the "Saints Preserve Us" exhibition to present a fun, provocative evening of art and discussion around spirtuality inspired by art objects made by more than 20 artists from our region.

This is the fourth year Saints Perserve Us has been presented. Each year the exhbition has been hosted & supported by .

The images above were taken from a prior year's exhbition of Saints Preserve Us.

• 6:30 pm - Experience the exhibition & socialize

Spend the first 30 mintues walking through the "Saints Preserve Us" exhbition. Chat about the work with friends and other attendees.

• 7:00 pm - Welcome & Introductions

Rome Celli from will welcome attendees and introduce , owner of , to give a brief overview of this alternative arts space. Then Rome will introduce the curators who will talk briefly about the exhibtion. After the curators Rome will introduce our panel: , and.

• 7:15 pm - Panel & Facilitated Discussion

After introducing the panel Rome will kick off the discusion. Panelists will chime in with their observations or ideas and then attendees in the audience (you!) will have a chance to share any comments on the topics under discussion. This promises to be a lively, interactive exchange.

Attendees will be encouraged to remain after the panel discussion to take another look at the works on display.

Many of the works in this exhbition will be for sale. So, come prepared to purchase your next work of art!

NOTES:

• This program is FREE and open to the public for attendees who register using eventbrite.
• Attendees do not have to be a member of .
• The venue is located in the above /.
• This program is NOT handicapped accessible. Access to the venue involves more than 10 stairs.
• Parking convenient to the venue is FREE and typically abundant.

The images above were taken from a prior year's exhbition of Saints Preserve Us.

Saints Preserve Us was curated by , and .

Ex-voto is the proper Latin term, meaning “from the vow” for the type of Christian devotional art that is offered to a saint or to God as thanks for a miracle, a blessing, and as testimony to others. An ex-voto can be a crutch or cane that is no longer needed, a small sculpture of a body part that was healed, or a commissioned painting of an event miraculously survived.

An altar is a space for ritual or worship, such as a place for making offerings or sacrifices, receiving communion, or casting spells. A shrine is a space that is considered special or sacred because of its association with a particular person or event, such as the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Juan Diego or the first time you saw One Direction live in concert

This year the curators also provided an additional prompt of the idea of devotion-on-the-go. Forget being in a specific place! With these objects, people can perform any ritual they need to, any time! Portable or pocket altars, a Catholic priest's home visit kit, or miniature shrines.
This call for work was open to any and all interpretations, religious and secular, personal and political, fictional and factual. Preference given to artists local to the Rochester/Buffalo area with all mediums welcome (including installations!) and no size restrictions.

Saints Preserve Us art show is made possible with support from .

• Ludmila Begley
• Hannah L. Bell
• Bridget Carey
• Julie Chen
• Emily Collins
• Francesca Falli
• Ron Ferrara
• Keavy Handley-Byrne
• Jim Herrmann
• Kristina Kaiser
• Susan Kelley
• Laurie MacFarlane
• Paola Macas Betchart
• Dina Noto
• Cielo Ornelas MacFarlane
• Jina Park
• Paul Porell
• Alyssa Reagan
• Martha Schermerhorn
• Rivkah Simcha
• Char Smith
• Tina Starr
• Susan Vadakin

is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose art examines the remnants of beings and place. She has an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, a BFA in Multimedia and Performing Arts from the Studio for Interrelated Media at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and is certified in End-of-Life care (death doula) from University of Vermont. Julie’s artwork has been shown in galleries and museums across the United States. Locally in Rochester, Julie is known for her performance and installation of Eidolon of A-Ngoh at Dances at MuCCC 2023, the interactive telephone piece “I can’t forget, okay?” No.2, (winner of the Award at the 2023 RoCo Members Exhibition), and the Fall 2023 “cloud” installation at Writers & Books entitled Always with Us, a community participatory installation in remembrance

is the daughter of two dancers, who from an early age encouraged her to express herself in creative and artistic ways. She was raised all over the United States, spending time in New York, New Jersey, Texas, New Mexico, and Michigan. She is a graduate of the Visual Arts and New Media department at SUNY Fredonia and a current member of and Roc Arts United in Rochester, NY. Her art frequently deals with the many facets of her identity as a queer Mexican American woman living in today’s world; expressing her identity while creating a space for dialogue with others. She draws upon history, folk arts and traditions, pop culture and humor to create conceptual pieces that amuse and provoke. When she has an idea she pursues it regardless of medium, creating prints, books, analog and digital photos and collages, textile art, and sculptures.

is a New York City-born artist based in Rochester, New York. She uses ink, collage, and assemblage to explore the themes of death, grief, and transformation. She has been influenced by her training in expressive arts therapy at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where she studied the facilitation of ritual arts experiences. As a performer in the avant-garde physical theater troupe The Velvet Noose, Rivkah has exhibited artwork during shows at UUU Gallery, Visual Studies Workshop, and the Rochester Fringe Festival. Rivkah’s work has also been shown locally at Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Frank’s Chop Shop, Vayo Collage Gallery, Behind the Glass Gallery, Art Museum of Rochester, Lumiere Photo, , and Boulder Coffee. In January 2025, Rivkah will join Flower City Arts Center as an artist in residence in printmaking and book arts

, established in 2011 by a group of strong female identifying makers, is dedicated to providing a supportive and inclusive artistic space. Under the guidance of their committed director and passionate volunteers, they aim to foster a community of makers who uphold a high standard of craftsmanship.

The space features over a dozen permanent studio spaces, a communal workspace, and a gallery area available for rental. As an arts incubator, we engage emerging and professional artists through exhibitions, specialized classes, and a vibrant membership program.

Regular programming includes First Friday exhibitions, craft sales, and community events, bringing together diverse groups of art enthusiasts and creators. Our mission is to offer accessible, affordable, and functional art space while cultivating a supportive network of members building connections locally and beyond.

Host or Publisher Rochester Art Collectors