The gorgeous architecture of the vacant National Bank, set in downtown Rochester at 35 State Street, was the backdrop for the University of Rochester's student-run indie arts festival, Art Awake, in 2010. The underused space will again serve as the staging for an arts event on Friday, December 7, when more than a dozen artists transform it for the site-specific exhibition, "The City is Asleep and Dreaming."
Rochester artists Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge and Jason Bernagozzi organize the series of exhibitions in order to "help develop a public dialogue about the transitioning identity of the city of Rochester and provoke a re-imagination of what public space is and what it could be," per provided information. The show takes place 6-10 p.m. and will include 18 visual, dance, and performance artists from Western and Central New York, each addressing concepts surrounding the act of transformation while operating within a public space that appears to be frozen in time. The event is free to attend. For more information, visit firstfridayrochester.org.