A new kind of art auction is coming to the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. "6x6x2008," as this project is called, has never before been done in Rochester, but the success of related projects elsewhere proves hopeful for the Rochester Contemporary.

The idea behind 6x6x2008 is a mixture of other similar auctions that have been held in places such as Los Angeles, London, and New York City, said Rochester Contemporary's director, Mr. Bleu Cease. Probably the closest related, he said, is Hudson Valley's Postcard exhibition, in which artists submit artwork the size of a postcard, and each is sold for $50. The goal of 6x6x2008 is to get 2,008 pieces of artwork measuring six inches by six inches, to be sold anonymously at $20 each to benefit the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. These kinds of art auctions are designed to be artist- friendly. "Myself being an artist, I have been approached by institutions to donate an artwork, and it's very sad to see that piece auctioned at a fraction of it's worth," said Mr. Cease. He added that making a small piece of artwork on which you spend a much smaller amount of time, effort and money, as well as having a price already set, is much more encouraging to the artist.

6x6x2008 is entirely dependent on original artworks submitted by anyone interested, not only nationally, but also internationally. In order to promote submissions, a Lieutenant System has been set up. This is similar to a Pyramid Scheme, in which ten people each persuade ten more people to buy some product, and each of those people tell ten more people, and so on. Lieutenants are being set up around the country, promising to get a certain number of submissions from their area. The Rochester Contemporary Art Center is currently recruiting lieutenants for each part of Western New York.

6x6x2008 will be previewed on June 6 th, 2008 at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. Purchasing of the submitted artworks will begin on June 7 th and continue until July 6 th. More information can be found on Rochester Contemporary's website, www.rochestercontemporary.org.