Let’s go to the video

When an unexpected opening popped up on the exhibition schedule for this summer at the Rochester Art Center, Shannon Fitzgerald came up with more than one replacement. In fact, she came up with a half-dozen.

“The Protagonist: Narrative & Animation,” which opens Friday at the art center, features the work of six video and animation artists.

“I had worked with all of these artists recently, I had written about them and knew them, so there was that personal connection,” said Fitzgerald, executive director of the art center. “We moved quickly and they all said ‘Yes’ to the invitation.”

The result is probably the largest exhibition of film and video ever at the art center. The six artists, all with international reputations (including one who lives abroad), will be represented by their works in video and animation, as well as in other media.