News Release - Reception to Celebrate Downtown “Big Picture” Art Project

City of Rochester

News Release

(Wednesday, September 30, 2009) - A reception to celebrate the work of the Big Picture Rochester outdoor art exhibit will take place 6 p.m., Fri., Oct. 2 at Java’s Cafe, 16 Gibbs St. as part of the East End entertainment district’s First Friday art gallery showcase.
The Big Picture Rochester project is transforming Downtown into one of the world’s largest outdoor photo galleries by displaying hundreds of large format photographs on buildings and in windows. Entitled Downtown: The Way It Was on Main Street, the exhibit consists of historic photographs of Rochester in honor of the city’s 175th Anniversary and can be found along Main Street between Plymouth Avenue and Chestnut Street. The exhibit is up now and will remain up through the summer of 2010.
“This project will go a long way to help the ongoing revitalization of downtown,” said Mayor Robert J. Duffy. “The Big Picture Rochester project is beautifying our center city, fostering community pride and honoring our great past.”
The images were greatly enlarged, reproduced and posted by Big Picture Art LLC. The early photographs were found in Rochester’s Downtown, a book written by Donovan Shilling.
Walking by these “windows into the past” and examining the exceptional images, passersby can capture a sense of that vibrant spirit of enterprise that has made Rochester great. Captions below the photographs educate viewers about the location, architecture and nature of the many noteworthy buildings that have graced our downtown and helped make it an attractive place for business, entertainment and shopping. Contemporary Rochester photos and photo mosaics are also included in the outdoor gallery.
The project is a joint venture of Big Picture Art LLC, the City and a number of local sponsors in whose building windows the photos are displayed. Gerard D. DiMarco and Kenichiro Sato led the project in collaboration with Donovan A. Shilling.
More information about the Big Picture Rochester project and downloadable walking tour brochures are available at www.bigpicturerochester.com. Copies of the exhibit’s photos are also available for order on the Web site. Brochures are also available at the VisitRochester office, 45 East Ave., Suite 400.
The following have provided support for the project: Bausch & Lomb; Bergmann Associates Fund; CGI Communications, Inc.; Hahn Automotive Warehouse, Inc.; Philippone Associates; VisitRochester; Wendy’s Restaurants of Rochester, Inc.

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News Media: For more information, contact Kenchiro Sato at 585-200-1919.

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