Nightlife, music, theater and art, CITY readers know them by heart. . .

Best actor
ESTHER WINTER
Talk about stage presence. Winter is everywhere in the Rochester Theater and has graced stages across the country and abroad. The longtime actress has been instrumental in creating new plays locally and serves on the new artistic council of the Geva Theater Center.
Ms. Kasha Davis | Che Holloway | Justin rielly

Best artist
SHAWN DUNWOODY
dunwoode.design
Dunwoody’s art is as big and daring as his ideals. The city is his canvas.
John Magnus Champlin | Will Perkins | Sarah rutherford

Best Group (Coverage)
HOMAGE BAND ZAC BROWN
zacbrowntributeband.com
Whether ZBTB is performing in a cramped pub, a crowded concert hall, a backyard barbecue, or a party in the park, this energetic tribute to chart-topping country music, Zac Brown Band, makes his people dance and scream. crowds, “Yee-haw!”
The Seven Wonders | The Skycoasters | Something else

Best Group (Original)
TEAGAN & TWEEDS
teaganandthetweeds.com
Don’t let the college name fool you. This six-piece set with a blues-country-folk vibe is anything but heavy and conservative. His portfolio contains a range of original songs and pays homage to the greatest with a selection of covers that appeal to all.
Joywave | Danielle Ponder | Undeath

Best art gallery
MEMORIAL ART GALLERY
mag.rochester.edu
Visiting the Memorial Art Gallery means traveling through 5,000 years of art history which includes a healthy program of temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts and tours. The museum’s permanent collection has been called “the best balanced in the state” outside of New York City.
Handicrafts | Rochester Contemporary Art Center | UUU art collective

Best artistic event
PARK AVENUE SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL
Although it has been postponed for two years and is operating thanks to the pandemic, Park Ave. Fest is a priority for festival goers for the more than 300 performers and 30 musical acts it brings to Park Avenue in fashion every August. The festival seeks to resurface in 2022.
6X6 | Corn Hill Festival of the Arts | KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival | M&T Bank Clothesline Festival

Best Club DJ
POWERFUL DJ MIC
Two-time Best of Rochester winner Michael Ruger, also known as DJ Mighty Mic, is a Rochester favorite in the house-knocking DJ booth at his Roar nightclub in Culver Road.
DJ Chreath | DJ Darkwave | DJ Kalifornia

Best actor or comedy troupe
NUTS AND BOLTS COMEDY IMPROVEMENT
Billed as Rochester’s longest-running comedy troupe, Nuts & Bolts, founded in 1999 by two high school mates tired of being laughed at, won major LOLs for their perfect blend of satire and silliness.
Malcolm Whitfield | Refined Taste | Todd young man

Best dance company
GARTH FAGAN DANCE
garthfagandance.org
Known the world over for his dazzling choreography, Garth Fagan has captivated and inspired audiences for over 50 years.
Biodance | PUSH Physical Theater | Rochester City Ballet

Best drag performer
MRS. KASHA DAVIS
kashadavis.com
She’s come a long way, babe, from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Drag queen Ed Popil’s flamboyant and beloved alter ego is at the top of his game right now with the launch of his new children’s TV show “Imagination Station with Mrs. Kasha Davis”.
DeeDee Dubois | Lake Darienne | Westwood Wednesday

Best Hip-Hop Number
MOSE ROCKWELL
mosesrockwell.bandcamp.com
Moses Rockwell’s fast-firing rhythmic rhymes flow from his tongue like a darting inmate. Hey, we tried, okay? But seriously, Rockwell’s sound is sweet, contagious, and really gone.
Ishmael | M Dot Coop | Noah Fense

Best Live Music Venue (Large)
CMAC
cmacevents.com
Whether on the lawn or under the hang, there is no bad place in the home of this performing arts center in Canandaigua. Over the years, CMAC has attracted some of the biggest names in music and shows no signs of slowing down.
Blue Cross Arena | Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theater | Main Street Armory

Best concert hall (small)
POT BUG
bugjar.com
Anyone who’s anyone into Rochester’s music has played this cramped counterculture pillar of the art scene on Monroe Avenue. The Bug Jar attracts some of the best touring bands and prides itself on showcasing up-and-coming local talent.
Abilene | Anthology | Photo City Music Hall

Best museum
FORT NATIONAL GAME MUSEUM
museumofplay.org
Consistently ranked at the top of Rochester’s tourist attraction list, The Strong, as the museum wants to be known, is a wonderland for kids and children at heart.
George Eastman Museum | Memorial Art Gallery | Rochester Museum and Science Center

Best mural or public art
DANIEL PRUDE IN MLK PARK
@airtheproject
A collaboration of artists working on the AIR project created this mural, which features a black and white portrait of Daniel Prude against the backdrop of yellow and green silhouettes of people protesting, as what they called “a response direct to the involvement of the City of Rochester. ” when he died.
Cobbs Hill Water Towers | “I speak” | “Stories of strength”

Best Solo Musician
DANIELLE PONDER
danielleponder.com
Rochester’s soul-singing wonder Danielle Ponder has had quite a run for the past two years, bursting onto the national stage after gaining the attention of National Public Radio as a star in its 2020 Tiny Desk contest. rest of America wants it, but we can call it ours.
Jake Troglodyte | Teagan District | Pulmonary cycles

Best photographer
JIM MONTANUS
montanusphotography.com
Photography is in the blood of this multiple Best of Rochester award winner, who is perhaps best known for his images of the region’s landscapes, including mesmerizingly beautiful photos of Lake Ontario. Jim Montanus is the son of legendary Kodak photographer Neil Montanus.
Aaron Winters | Quajay Donnell | Teal brown

Best Published Author
BETHANY SNYDER
bethanysnyder.com
This multi-Best of winner has a long list of published news, many of which take place in her hometown of Penn Yan. Looking to learn from one of the best? Snyder runs a creative writing group called Keuka Writes.
Dave Chisholm | Gary Craig | Francoise Tepper

Best published poet
Rachel McKIBBENS
rachelmckibbens.com
Rachel McKibbens is a true poet. Her work has been featured in numerous journals, including The Los Angeles Review, World Literature Today and The Rumpus, the latter writing that she “wakes up and haunts with selfless honesty.”
Albert Abonado | Andrew Conley | Charlie Côté | Jacob Rakovan

Best theater company
GEVA THEATER CENTER
gevatheatre.org
Founded in 1972, Geva is Rochester’s flagship theater company and New York’s busiest regional theater. Expect change on the horizon with the impending retirement of its longtime artistic director, Mark Cuddy.
The Avenue Black Box Theater | Blackfriars Theater | Out of Monroe players | Rochester Community Players