What is this project all about?
In 2019, the City closed the Visitor Center in High Falls and auctioned everything. Greentopia purchased the exhibit of 33 pressboard silhouettes of “Famous Rochesterians.” This project seeks to engage local area artists in reimagining, interpreting, and putting into visual context the natural and cultural heritage surrounding Rochester history.
Greentopia has reached out to area artists to help kickstart a conversation about how our natural and cultural heritage will lead to building a park that is meaningful, accessible, and relevant and inspires citizen belonging.
What are the core goals of this project?
Through this project, Greentopia hopes to:
- Preserve history through art and storytelling.
- Celebrate Rochester’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
- Engage local artists to ‘reimagine’ 33 famous Rochesterians.
- Showcase local artists’ renderings of “Famous Rochesterians” that will be displayed in City libraries in July.
- Encourage community participation through a scavenger hunt and a 2-week public exhibit.
We also plan to publish a book highlighting the artists and the artwork and delving into the history and stories surrounding impactful Rochesterians.
Artists are compensated for their time and creativity. Greentopia will auction the figures at its major fundraiser on August 1st, held at the downtown Public Library.
Greentopia invites everyone to bid on these colorful heroes, but bidding will close on August 1st the night of our Reflections on the River gala event.
Each figure has a QR code that takes you to a brief synopsis of the artist and the history of the character they painted. You can bid on these figures and take home a colorful piece of Rochester history.
All proceeds go to support Greentopia’s Green Visions Workforce Development program and to close the gap in the costs of remodeling our new training center at 188 Whitney Street in Rochester, NY.
