The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts will host a Grand Opening celebration for its newly acquired and renovated suite in the Rochester Community Center. The museum already maintained a large collection of art adorning the walls of the long first-floor corridor, since 2014. The new suite will complement the collection display and add additional free programming to the community.
The suite was recently vacated by the city’s Economic Development team after they relocated to the City Hall Annex building. The suite will allow for the museum to have another gallery, host events, and store art and supplies. The suite will also offer internet access on a number of donated Apple computers.
The new gallery will feature a different artist every other month and will be named for former Rochester Mayor Harvey Bernier. A dedication ceremony will take place later in the year.
In addition to opening the suite, the museum will debut a smartphone app that patrons can utilize to learn more about the works in the collection.
“We are trying to foster an understanding of the works of art in our collection. We want to offer more than just the artist’s name and title. The app will include a lot more information so the viewer can better understand what we are exhibiting.” said museum co-founder and president Matt Wyatt.
The museum will provide iPads with the app preloaded for patrons without smartphones. The app will also be available on all the computers in the suite as well as on the museum’s website.
All the renovation projects and furniture purchases were made entirely with donated funds from the museum’s new “Friends” program. The museum is an all-volunteer organization that relies completely on individual donations. Visit www.rochestermfa.org/donate to contribute to this effort.
The Grand Opening reception will take place on Friday, June 1st from 5-8pm. Light refreshments will be served. A special ribbon-cutting provided by the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce will take place earlier in the day at 2pm. The public is encouraged to attend. The Rochester Community Center is located at 150 Wakefield Street in Rochester, NH. Visit www.rochestermfa.org for more information.
