Member News

Rochester, NY, Feb. 19, 2025—The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) announces that Timothy Peterson will serve as juror for the highly anticipated 69th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition (RFLX), the region’s longest-running juried showcase of artists from Western and Central New York. Open to artists across 27 counties, RFLX serves as a platform for emerging and established talents working in all media. The exhibition will be on view at MAG from June 28 through October 5, 2025, highlighting the region’s dynamic artistic community. Submissions for the highly competitive exhibition closed on Sunday, February 16, and surpassed 800 individual artists from around New York State. Artists with accepted works will be notified by Friday, February 28.

Peterson was recently appointed the museum’s inaugural Ann and Irving Norry Curator of Contemporary Art. This prestigious position was established through a generous gift by Deborah Ronnen in honor of her parents, Ann and Irving Norry, lifelong collectors and advocates for visual arts. Peterson, a distinguished curator with a history of championing innovative artists, will oversee MAG’s contemporary collection, lead acquisitions, curate exhibitions, and author critical scholarship.

About Timothy Peterson

Peterson joined MAG following an esteemed career, most recently serving as Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. His leadership there built upon his extensive curatorial expertise, which includes prior roles as Director and Curator of Franklin Art Works in Minneapolis and Chief Curator at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah. Over the years, Peterson has played a pivotal role in presenting groundbreaking exhibitions by acclaimed artists such as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Kehinde Wiley, and Christian Marclay.

Over the past decade, MAG has significantly expanded its contemporary art holdings, with recent acquisitions of works by artists including Nick Cave, Rashid Johnson, Mickalene Thomas, and Grayson Perry. The museum has also built a growing collection of time-based media, featuring pieces by Isaac Julien, Bill Viola, and Nam June Paik.

“I am honored to join the Memorial Art Gallery and immerse myself in Rochester’s vibrant cultural landscape,” said Peterson. “Serving as juror for RFLX presents an incredible opportunity to engage with local and regional artists and celebrate the creative excellence of New York State.”

With Peterson at the helm of MAG’s contemporary art program, the museum is poised to further its mission of fostering meaningful dialogue between art history and living artists and connecting new audiences to the art of our time.

About the Memorial Art Gallery

The Memorial Art Gallery showcases art from antiquity to the present day, including the outdoor public Centennial Sculpture Park. In addition to its permanent collection, MAG offers a year-round schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, after-hours social events, and family activities.

Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00 am–5:00 pm, and until 9:00 pm on Thursdays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Starting in March, MAG will close at 8:00 pm on Thursdays and will be open until 8:00 pm on the second Friday of each month.

Admission: $20; senior citizens, $18; college students with ID and children 6–18, $9. Always free to members, University of Rochester faculty, staff, students, and children five and under. Half-price general admission on Thursdays 5–9 pm is made possible by Monroe County. Discounted admission tickets are available when purchasing online. For more information, call 585.276.8900 or visit mag.rochester.edu

Press contact: Paige Engard, Marketing & PR Specialist: 585.474.7695 / pengard@mag.rochester.edu

ASSOCIATED IMAGES:

Photo 1: Timothy Peterson, inaugural Ann and Irving Norry Curator of Contemporary Art at the Memorial Art Gallery

Photo 2: The Memorial Art Gallery is excited to have received over 800 submissions for the 69^th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition.