What happens when your dreams come true?

We all have dreams. Day dreams, goals, hopes, nice one days. Yet, what happens when you dreams do come true. What do you do? This has happened to me recently, and to know what to do moving forward, we have to start at the beginning.

I’ve always loved art and have wanted a gallery space. I’ve always found approaching galleries about hanging work, so why not make a space where it could be a lot more approachable. Then in college I took a gallery management class. We visited this tiny gallery that was housing high school student art work. It was a beautiful showcase. It made my wheels start to spin, where do students showcase art work.

Then in 2016, I got hired at the Rochester City School District. A few months later was the student art showcase. Hundreds of amazing works were put up all over the building. The walls were vibrant and fun and it was everything I ever wanted to see, student artwork being celebrated. However, a few months later the pieces came down.

Why couldn’t this be permanent? We should always have student artwork up. In fact, there should be student art all over our District, all over the City. How could it happen?

I kept thinking of ways to get an art studio, maybe just host gallery space for students myself, maybe I can partner with someone. Then in 2018, I got promoted, and the calendar that is done each year was under my purview. What a better idea then to use this as a mini competition to showcase student art work! Selected winners could then have their pieces housed in a gallery space for a month or so. It was the start of my dream come true.

A few years and a pandemic later, I am working on the calendar again. I’ve had student artwork in a few spaces, a small gallery, the city library, but nothing was permanent. I leave this wonderful job at the end of August, but I hadn’t secured a spot.

Then like a strike of lightening, a friend said he knew someone at City Hall that was looking for help with the gallery space. After an initial talk, they wanted it to be a group that was involved in making the gallery shows, however, they did have another space. There was another open space, a space within City Hall, a space for student artwork.

Last Friday was the grand opening of the RCSD X Link Gallery at City Hall. We had our calendar competition winners be the first to host their artwork. After, rotating shows from the different high schools will be featured in this space! After years of wanted to create a space for students to showcase artwork, I did it. I was able to secure a space for student art within City Hall, a permanent space, a home for art.

Now that my dream has come true…what’s next? While I may not be sure yet, I know that I can make my dreams happen. Between learning, networking, time, and never loosing sight of what I wanted to accomplish. I’m very proud of myself and what I was able to achieve before moving away from Rochester.