Culture & Society

Borinquen Dance Theatre is celebrating a big anniversary. For the past thirty-five years, Borinquen has been working with young Rochesterians, helping them develop the discipline needed to be successful. A former Garth Fagan Dancer, Borinquen founder Nydia Padilla-Rodriguez has spent a lifetime dedicated to using art, creativity and self-expression as tools in the fight for the future of our young people. Take a look at how powerful a program it really is. Aired 4/1/16. 

What do you get when you mix art and day-habilitation? You get creativity, happiness, opportunity and confidence - you also get the Arc of Monroe's program, Community Arts Connection. They're working to ensure that ALL of us have the opportunity to express ourselves. Take a look! Aired 4/1/16.

When you think of a ballet performance, I bet you imagine a quiet audience, stuffy even, quick to shush a cough and would certainly balk at talking. Well, the Rochester City Ballet is one of just a handful of ballet companies in the United States that's broken through that barrier and has turned the music down, and the lights up, in the name of inclusion. Take a look at their recent sensory-friendly performance of the Ugly Duckling at Nazareth College. Aired 3/25/16. 

Rochester may be well-known as the Flour city, and as home of giant manufacturers such as Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb. But Rochester's clothing industry has contributed and continues to contribute significantly to the economic development of the region. Lets meet one of our local designers who call's Rochester, home. Aired 2/26/16.

What comes to mind when you think of balloon art? Probably your typical balloon animal, right? Well if you've been following Airigami and their annual installation in the Sibley Building in Rochester, NY you know that they think much bigger! If you haven't seen what they can do with balloons, just sit back and check it out, these artists are blowing minds with the art of folding air. Aired 1/29/16

In the late 1930's and early 1940's the Federal government funded the Works Progress Administration or WPA. While the WPA mostly funded public construction projects, one of its initiatives was to fund the making of art. Carl Peters was a WPA artist who worked here in Rochester. The Memorial Art Gallery helped administer the art program here in Rochester. The Gallery funded muralist Carl Peters for a series of artworks, some of which are still on display in local school buildings.

Rick Guidotti has had a career that's taken him from New York City to Milan and now to Rochester. As a fashion photographer he photographed high fashion models. He's now focused his lens on highlighting the beauty in all of us. Through his organization, Positive Exposure, Rick spends his time photographing people with genetic differences. In preparation for it's thirtieth anniversary celebration, The Golisano Foundation brought Rick to the George Eastman House to photograph twenty individuals here in Rochester. We were fortunate to be there to document the process, here's a look.

Let's meet David Haygood, artist and owner of Gallery One Fine Arts. David has had a long career in the art world and has had a big impact in the lives of numerous young people in the Rochester region. Let's visit him in his gallery to learn more. Aired 9/18/15. 

Just west of Rochester, NY is an area known as the Oatka Valley – a region where Native Americans once  settled around the banks of an ancient creek.  It is here where we meet up with artists Adriana and Jack Slutzky, a husband and wife team who use the sacred land as a natural gallery, exhibiting works that reflect the spiritual essence of women and their connection to nature. Aired 9/04/15.

SUNY Brockport plays host to a variety of excellent programs, but one of its most unique is in its dance department. For more than two decades, Clyde Alafiju Morgan has led SUNY Brockport students in learning about, not only African dance, but also it's culture. We had a chance to sit down with Clyde before he retired, take a look! Aired 8/28/15.