For the second year in a row, Rochester Contemporary Art Center is encouraging more submissions for its fundraising art initiative with Make Art Day.

6x6 is what RoCo calls the "International Small Art Phenomenon." People of all artistic ability are invited to submit small pieces of art that will be auctioned off at $20, as a fundraiser for the art center.

The event is in its thirteenth year, and along the way, something interesting started to happen.

Martha O’Connor is a visual artist. She says a few years ago she started hosting art parties at her house so she and her friends could make art together.

"We invited a series of our friends, some of whom are artists, some of whom are not, all of whom are usually up for something fun an adventuresome, and we put out fifferent materials -- simple things like elmers glue and crayons so people don’t have to feel like, uhhhhh. Just make marks!"

Art parties like O’Connor’s gave Executive Director Bleu Cease an idea: a whole day dedicated to setting aside time to come together to make art for the 6x6 project. This year, its March 6.

"It just seems like the right fit to celebrate the act of making, and the egalitarian aspects of 6x6 – anyone can participate, anyone can make an artwork."

And anyone can host a party – community organizations, businesses, schools. Even one of Rochester’s sister cities in France is participating this year.

Cease hopes to get a thousand submissions through Make Art Day from Monroe County.

More information available on the Rochester Contemporary Art Center website.

