Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch. 

Published April 5, 2018.

Where are you originally from? What brought you to Rochester?

Bleu Cease, Executive Director: I grew up in Naples, about an hour south of here. I did my undergrad in North Carolina, where I studied philosophy and psychology. While I was there, I was able to structure my time so that I basically did two years of humanities and social science and then two years of pure art. After that, I traveled and spent some time in China. I was visiting my parents in Naples and happened to get a job at the Eastman Museum. I also did grad school at the Visual Studies Workshop at Brockport, then some teaching, then I was hired at RoCo.

What is your favorite part of living in Rochester?

Bleu: Many things about the city are invigorating to me. You can see change and have a meaningful role in that change. After a few years, you look back--you can see the progress, and the city moving forward. You might not be able to see or feel that in a larger city. We’re living in a time where larger cities are losing their luster and smaller cities are experiencing a resurgence.

What are some of your favorite neighbors in downtown/the East End? 

Bleu: Greenwood Books is this amazing little used bookstore that’s been here forever. It’s a pioneer of the neighborhood, and they were here long before RoCo. Christchurch is another--we love the architecture, and we work closely with them. Bernunzio’s is great too. And we could be called the coffee district with all the great coffee around us! Fuego, Java’s, Ugly Duck, and Spot, to name a few.

What is your favorite Rochester memory? 

Bleu: We’ve run bicycle tours over the years that curate a different focus each time, some on local history, some on art and art history. We’ve organized eight or ten over the years. It’s a wonderful way to get together with people. They’re loosely educational, but everyone has this surprising experience and walks away with lasting memories. We’ll definitely have more in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for Art and History Bike Tours with RoCo.

6x6 is another one--it’s always a heartwarming and touching experience. There are so many people involved with 6x6 every year, drawing, painting, creating small sculptures, and donating all this original artwork. It yields wonderful character for the show when thousands of people around the world are taking the time to make art and send it to us. It’s so wonderfully human, connecting people through making, and it creates this sea of art and creativity. Consuming and collecting art can seem intimidating, but 6x6 makes art buying imminently available, fun, and fulfilling.

What makes Rochester unique? 

Bleu: The scale and the history make it unique. The way Rochester is paying attention to its history and its present moment; it’s important for Rochester to do that. The progressive and activist history is particularly unique for a small city.

What do you think could be improved? 

Bleu: We talk a lot about collaboration and how important it is, and we celebrate it when it happens...but there could be a lot more of it. If we improved our communication, collaboration would grow. Communication in this city needs to be more transparent. The City and the County need to support the arts more. In other cities and states, there are structured programs to support arts organizations, and I would like to see that here.

What is your role at Rochester Contemporary Art Center? How long have you been there? 

Bleu: I’m the Executive Director, and I’ve been here a little over ten years. My days are diverse. I’m offering creative guidance, I’m managing our programs, and working with artists. I am also often working on the financial piece day-to-day, including managing our budget and fundraising. I work with an wonderful staff and volunteers to execute our programs, events, and promotion. RoCo also manages the city-wide First Fridays program, which offers a simple structure for small arts organizations to support each other. So my role is both creative and administrative.

Tell me a little bit about the history of 6x6. How did it come about?

Bleu: We wanted to move away from the traditional model of an art auction as a fundraiser. Lots of arts organizations ask artists to donate art, and then they auction it off to raise funds. It’s not a great model for artists or the field. Two of our longtime patrons knew of a small arts fundraiser in the UK, so that served as our inspiration. All three of us worked together to look at projects like Visual AIDS. Anything that involved egalitarian participation and a massive amount of artwork was on the table. We wanted it to be international and for there to be an opportunity for mass participation. We also wanted the art to be available at a low price point to encourage people to start collecting art. This small contribution from many different people is what we were going for.

How did you settle on the size 6" by 6"?

Bleu: Well, we wanted the art to be square, and it was a manageable size. There were no other 6x6es out there, and 6x6 just sounded good!

How many submissions do you receive each year?

Bleu: Over 5,000! We’ve had to limit the number of artworks one person can submit. Right now the maximum is four per person. On April 6th we’ll be having a 6x6 party right here at RoCo with Jesse Amesmith @Good WitchYoga, so stop by if you’re interested in making your own 6x6!

What's one of the most memorable pieces you've received? One of the best stories from past years' exhibits?

Bleu: So many unique stories come out of this project:

• We have one artist in Colorado who paints owls in this very stylized way, and she’s submitted many times over the years. She drove up one year for the opening reception with her husband! We featured her in the member spotlight once.
• A family from Mississippi planned their vacation to Niagara Falls so they could make it to the opening of 6x6. The father used to have 6x6 parties at home with his daughter.
• Another family had made a sculpture out of crayons, and they drove up from Pennsylvania to drop it off because they were worried it would get damaged if they mailed it!
• We once had someone overnight artwork from Australia so they didn’t miss the deadline.
• When we launched online sales, someone in the UK bought a piece that turned out to be by an artist in Australia...who formerly lived in the UK...who the buyer happened to know!

The spirit is all about wonderfully human creative gestures. This project is critical for this organization to be here, and we do need everybody to contribute. It’s truly a global project here in Rochester.

Is there anything special/unique/new to the 2018 edition of 6x6? 

Bleu: Our website for 6x6 has been redesigned and is now more mobile friendly. Visit roco6x6.org for details.

We’re also now giving folks the chance to dare a friend to do it! There are so many creative people out there who are reluctant to put their own work out there, but this is a safe way to do it. Use #daretosquare to dare a friend to submit to 6x6!

How can people get involved with 6x6?

Bleu: Make an artwork. Tell a friend. Attend our event on 4/6. Host a party. Volunteer at RoCo. Come to the opening June 2 and start building your own collection! It opens on 6/2 and runs through mid-July. We raffle off the first 20 buyer positions to improve your odds of getting the pieces you want. There’s an online preview that begins May 18th, so you can thumb through it in advance and make your list before the opening.

What are your hopes for the future of 6x6?

Bleu: I hope 6x6 becomes increasingly global. We’ve had anywhere from 30-50 countries in it in the past. We’ve received pieces from Africa and the Philippines in the past, but we want way more of that. We’ve paid increased attention to our sister cities in the past few years and that’s a fun way to make it both global and local. We want to grow this incredible diversity. We want everybody to keep participating too. Don’t take a year off! This program needs community help and support.