Arts & Life

Small and medium-sized arts groups, all of which have taken a financial hit during the pandemic, could be in line for a share of $131,000 in grants from Monroe County under new legislation that appears poised to pass the County Legislature this week.

The measure was introduced by members of the Legislature’s Black and Asian Democratic Caucus and has been accepted by the Republican majority for consideration by the full Legislatures during its meeting on Tuesday — a signal that the bill is likely to be approved.

For almost 80 years, Fairport has owned and maintained the historic Potter House, an Italianate orange-brick mansion on West Church Street that for decades served as a public gathering place for dances, Boy Scout meetings, wedding receptions, and other events.

But by the end of the week, village officials are hoping they will have a buyer lined up for the 4,600-square foot landmark.

The musicians of Rochester have skills other than making music. Charles Jaffe excels in marquetry, the art of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. On this HomeStage, Jaffe combines both - a song and marquetry he's working on. (Also check out all the HomeStage performances here)

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP)  The World Video Game Hall of Fame on Thursday inducted the groundbreaking Microsoft Flight Simulator, franchise-inspiring Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? award-winning StarCraft and Animal Crossing, whose popularity has surged  during the pandemic.

The four games were honored for their influence on popular culture and the video game industry. They were chosen from a field of finalists that also included: Call of Duty, FarmVille, FIFA International Soccer, Guitar Hero, Mattel Football, Pole Position, Portal and Tron.

While festivals fall by the wayside, the promoters for Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center say the venue just outside of Canandaigua will have a substantial season to announce shortly.

Three country shows are already on the schedule, holdovers from last summer, when all CMAC concerts were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. As was the case in 2020, Luke Combs will do two shows this year, on Aug. 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. Thomas Rhett will play Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

New York tourism experts say the great American road trip is back, and they're counting on people's pent-up desire for travel and cravings for regional food specialties to lure them upstate this year.

"That's what our data tells us," said Ross Levi, vice president and executive director of tourism at I Love New York, who added that people want to travel to close destinations reachable by car.

Tourism organizations from Buffalo to Binghamton are collaborating on a new campaign called "Upstate Eats Trail."

After an attempt to save this year’s edition of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival by moving it back a month and changing the location to Rochester Institute of Technology, the event’s producers announced Monday morning that the event will be postponed again.

The new dates are June 17-25, 2022. But it was not immediately clear where the festival will be held. 

The Eastman School of Music has launched the public phase of a $100 million fundraising campaign.

More than half of that amount has already been raised during the quiet phase of the campaign, which is being announced in connection with Eastman’s 100th anniversary that is being celebrated this year.

The public phase of the campaign was announced in an event Thursday night co-hosted by University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf and Eastman School of Music Dean Jamal Rossi.