Our first staff arts & crafts show
The Artful Unwind Arts & Crafts show opening on November 9, 2023
One of the accomplishments during my time at the University of Rochester that I’m most proud of was to lead the creation of a staff only arts and crafts show. Throughout my tenure there it became clear that many of the people we worked with also had creative hobbies or side gigs that were worth showing to everyone. A job title or position was never necessarily indicative of the talent and creativity on display, which was a fun revelation for the gallery-goers.
An example of the variety on offer at the show
The call for entries left the door open to virtually any kind of submission and the volume and variety of what we received was very much a surprise. We made sure to include on the title cards each person’s department and job title as we wanted to show that the exhibit was institution-wide; an important distinction in a famously siloed place.
A small sample of the variety and quality on display
Talent from unexpected directions was everywhere
The show was curated to a degree, but the small number of rejections were due to technical reasons; available space or inability to include anything that involved audio or video.
The team that made it possible, especially the five to the right of the screen. From left to right: Myself, Sarah Mossey, Nicole Smith, Julia Joshpe, Jenny Hamson, and Phyllis Mangefrida.
Overall the entire event was a big success, and the energy in the room during the opening was fantastic. There aren’t enough events that bring staff together and it felt really satisfying to make that happen. The response we received made it clear that the next show would need to be in a larger venue; particularly one open to more foot traffic. Our goal was to one day have this show at the Memorial Art Gallery, a University asset, that would be a perfect showcase for the largest employer in the region to show off their people.
Sadly, as it stands now, that won’t happen.
But I’m glad we did it and happy it succeeded. Meliora indeed!