The Visual Studies Workshop is Drawing Creative Minds to the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood

The front entrance of the Visual Studies Workshop venue in the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood at 36 King Street.

The Susan B. Anthony neighborhood in Rochester, New York, is undoubtedly a historic gem. Located on the west side of the Genesee River, the neighborhood is approximately a mile from the heart of Downtown, known primarily for its namesake, Susan B. Anthony, an activist in the women’s suffrage movement who advocated for women’s right to vote, and who co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1869.

Today, the neighborhood, Susan B. Anthony’s house, and her legacy remain undisturbed in this quiet community. The neighborhood is a uniquely diverse community; for instance, on Main Street, you can find a Caribbean and Soul food restaurant, an African and Haitian market, a bodega, a fish market, two tire shops, a Chinese restaurant, Empire Meats, a health care clinic called the MOCHA Center, the Style Council (a vintage clothing shop), SewGreen Rochester, and the 1872 Cafe.

As a visitor, you can step inside the former activist’s home, now a museum, and take a stroll up the block to see the Susan B. Anthony Square Park, to check out the statue dedicated to her and the iconic Frederick Douglass. Even with this diverse array of activities, this area in Rochester often goes under the radar, especially when considering its rich history as a hub for activism. However, some recent changes may be on the horizon with the addition of a new creative art space that has opened its doors in this culturally significant quarter of the city.

An art installation by Samantha Box features dioramas, photography, and sound to “chart the fluctuation and tenuous physical and psychosocial spaces of queerness and the diaspora.”

In 2024, the Visual Studies Workshop (VSW), an independent, not-for-profit, artist-run organization and art space, relocated from the Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA) to the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood, making a new home for themselves at 36 King Street. Founded in 1969 by the late Nathan Lyons, the VSW was one of the nation’s earlier art spaces to operate as an independent artist-run venue. Since its opening, organizers have maintained the “workshop” mission and nurtured experimental and expansive approaches to photography, film, and other forms of media. Through their efforts, they have “provided residencies to over 500 artists, produced more than 500 exhibitions, screened over 1,000 films and videos, and published more than 500 artists’ books through the VSW press.”

Didactic text on a prop wall panel titled, "Diasporas are the Landscape” in English and translated to “Diásporas son el Paisaje” in Spanish at the Visual Studies Workshop.

As a city, Rochester is no stranger to the power that creativity and the arts have played in social movements, especially in this neighborhood. However, years of destructive urban planning and the failures of urban renewal have left much of the city’s history and roots disconnected, or, more accurately, trampled by highways and empty lots. While the efforts to correct those historic wrongs are slowly rebuilding the city, the act of placemaking can be a form of justice when community empowerment is a focus. By supporting the work of artists and opening its space in the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood, the Visual Studies Workshop continues its legacy as an artist-driven space, bringing creative minds to lead dialogue and push the boundaries of our imagination.

Alida Rodrigues’ embroidered works hang alongside a wallpaper installation at the VSW for the Diasporas are the Landscape exhibition.

The Visual Studies Workshop’s move into the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood is significant due to the implications it presents. First, it establishes a free artistic gallery, and second, it draws creative minds and artistic activists back to the once socio-politically active community. In a way, the workshop’s presence is a cultural renaissance, ushering in a new era of activism through the arts.

The VSW is impressive. The workshop is equipped with a theater space to coordinate film screenings, operates the VSW Press, which publishes books by artists, supports a 4-week artist residency with a stipend, and features rotating exhibitions every few months. Through photography, film, and other multimedia creations, organizers and resident artists showcase their thought-provoking works, which leads to engaging dialogue on the past, present, and future of the human experience. Whether you’re an artist, a visitor, a supporter, or just curious to learn more about the VSW, you can visit their art space Wednesday to Friday from 11 am to 6 pm, and on Saturdays from 12 pm to 4 pm.