I love art trails. I'm not an artist, but I love looking at it in all its forms. On a trail, if something doesn't capture my interest, the next candidate is just another stop away. I've traveled the Ithaca and Naples trails. Both of them are worth the driving effort and I always plan for them. (Hopefully next year they'll use my suggestion of artsy mailboxes containing the maps, attaching them to posts, and placing them strategically near the stops.) However, neither of these prepared me for a visit to Anderson Alley's Gala on Friday, November 30.

First, there's the signage. The street sign on Goodman Street, which I walk by each day I come to work, has never inspired me to go have a look-see. It looks like something a kid did (apologies to whoever's toes I'm stepping on), or something some renegade artist did to flip off the art "establishment." It doesn't make me think there might be wonderful treasures within. No one I asked knew who did the artwork, and they all also expressed similar sentiments. Get a new sign, people! With four floors of artists, surely you can come up with something that reflects the high quality of art contained within.

This leads me to my second qualm, another sign. As I walked into the back door, I was greeted by a cavernous stairway. Sure, there were posters posted on some of the walls, but not one that clearly identified exactly where the gala was. I waited until someone came down the stairs to ask. And this is where my ranting ends and my raving begins.

The first studio I entered was Jan Hewitt Towsley's textiles. Her floor and wall works were beautiful and I quickly jotted down a note-to-self to tell a friend she'd be wanting one of her rugs. The next studio I ventured in had the means to blow me away--literally. Who knew there was a Civil War Field Artillery Museum tucked away in Rochester, NY? Anyone have cannon shot on their holiday list? Chuck Baylis opened it a few months ago. The same Chuck Baylis who told me he met his wife through a City Newspaper ad, and she also had a studio in Anderson Alley, as did their daughter. City is apparently very family friendly!

From there it was studio after studio (four floors) of every imaginable, and never imagined by me, form and function of art. Nothing bored me, but some really stood out:
-Lynne Feldman's collage tapestries, which are like a one-page story.
-Linda McFadden's lettering art. I want to have a party just so she can make the invitations.
-Susan Kukle's floorcloths. Martha Stewart-worthy.
-New Ridge Bindery, where they're binding a Psych book that will be used in universities on how to perform and decipher polygraphs. "CSI: Rochester"! They also repair and rebind  all sorts of old books. A bibliophile's dream.
-Henna Rising body arts. These intricate designs make even feet look pretty. Put a hennaed tambourine on your list for me.
-Cheryl Bagley's scarves. Scarves don't usually move me, but her designs of silk gauze and Japanese Nuno wool are ethereal. Imagine a scarf made of cotton candy. She told me the ‘felting' process is kind of like when you accidentally throw a wool sweater into the  washing machine: it's been felted.
-Colleen Buzzard's Print Lab. Her studio is hard to describe. Things like old metal dentist x-ray holders mixed with maps and writings. Old books blended into boxes. If you liked Amber Hare's "I Have a Dollar" in-home exhibit last fall, you'll love Buzzard's studio. I felt like Alice in Wonderland.

I meant to go to three other art receptions Friday night, but once inside Anderson Alley I knew I'd never make them. Hey, the sign made me think I'd want to be whipping through. Now I'm planning on going to one of their Second Saturday Open Studios to spend even more time. Still, I wish they'd change the sign!