COMP Studios Fall 2025

Opening Reception: First Friday, October 3

Hours

Open Studios: Saturday October 4, 12-5pm & Saturday October 11, 12-5pm
*contact artists directly to arrange studio visits at other times

Current Artists

Rivkah Simcha
For this residency, Rivkah will work on Unmaking My Chains, a series of mixed media drawings and paintings that explore their journey through Alcoholics Anonymous, using light, texture, and language to reflect emotional sobriety, spiritual growth, and the potential of art in recovery. Rivkah will also participate in Under the Influence: Artists Explore Addiction and Loss  First Friday September 5.

Tiwa Topia
During their residency, Tiwa will develop a body of stained glass work using a self-devised technique that renders richly pigmented brown skin tones—centering Black, queer, and immigrant narratives through portraits that reclaim and reimagine this traditionally exclusive medium.

About the Artists

Rivkah Simcha (she/they) is a New York City-born mixed media artist based in Rochester, New York. She uses ink, collage, assemblage, monotype printing, and other approaches to explore the themes of grief and transformation, and to respond to the questions “Who am I in this world? What can I make of what has been made of me?” Her art practice has been influenced by her training in expressive arts therapy at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. As a performer in the avant-garde theater troupe The Velvet Noose, Rivkah has designed and created art scrolls, costume pieces, and ritual objects for use in performance. Rivkah’s art work has been shown in galleries throughout the Rochester area. Rivkah is currently an artist in residence in printmaking and book arts at Flower City Arts Center. @shula_sings

Tiwa (he/they) is a self-taught stained glass artist from Nigeria whose work blends traditional craft with contemporary experimentation. Their practice draws from cultural influences, incorporating textiles, handmade papers, and a range of brown tones into glass to tell deeply personal and visually compelling stories. Tiwa pushes the boundaries of stained glass through accessible formats such as window fixtures, hanging pieces, and illuminated furniture. In the past two years, they have exhibited twice at Thawww, receiving the George Parrino Award for Excellence in Craft in one of those years. Their work has also been shown with the Oswego Arts Association and in Baltimore, reflecting growing regional recognition. Tiwa’s goal is to create art that is not only beautiful but also honors and communicates the complexity of their Yoruba heritage. @awit.glass

About COMP Studios

COMP Studios provides artists with inexpensive and free, temporary space to advance their practice and engage the public. This initiative expands RoCo's work to support artists, advances the ecosystem for contemporary art in Downtown Rochester; and builds upon grassroots efforts like First Friday, Rochester’s Citywide Gallery Night, and 2019's Current Seen. In addition to providing work space, this initiative will boost an artist's access to audiences and expose the public to an artist’s latest artwork. COMP Studios is Creative Opportunities Made Public. In 2024 COMP was located offsite at a nearby office building and supported by Chashama and The New York State Council for the Arts. In 2025 we moved this program back to the 2nd Floor of RoCo's main facility at 137 East Avenue.