Events
Sunday Cinema
Third Sundays, 1:00 pm.
Join us for the September Sunday Cinema on September 19!
The Dove Block will host movie viewings in its intimate Jim Spates Theater on the third Sunday of each months. The films will be a variety of fiction and non-fiction works. For information about which films will be shown, you can email info@thedoveblockproject.org.
No registration required, but seating is limited.
The Friday Art Crowd
Last Friday of every month, 1:30 to 3:30.
Come when you can. Talk about whatever you’re making.
No speaker. No agenda. No presentation.
Just artists hanging out and talking about art—what we're making, what we're stuck on, what we've seen, what we love, what drives us nuts, and whatever else comes up.
Bring your lunch, your coffee, your sketchbook, something you're working on—or just bring yourself.
Come talk art. That's the whole idea.
Upcoming Dates: September 25, October 30, November 27.
No registration required.
Family Fall Festival
Saturday, September 26, 12:30 to 3:30 pm.
Including the dedication of the North Bay in honor of Jeanette Hernandez!
Join us for an afternoon of music, dancing, crafts, and community.
This event is FREE, and no registration is required!
Sunday, September 27, 1:00 pm.
A Book Reading by local writer Naomi L. Shank: When The Universe Pivots (published April 30, 2026).
Meet the Author and Q&A: Learn about the story behind the story of writing When the Universe Pivots: the author’s inspiration, writing process, historical research, and themes.
A sweeping, multigenerational tale that bridges two continents and two centuries, exploring love, loss, and the enduring ties of heritage. The book is inspired in part by the author's experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa, and the program includes a video slideshow of photographs, along with cultural artifacts: authentic Senegalese art, jewelry, baskets, and cloth.
Naomi grew up in Geneseo, NY and spent two transformative years in Senegal as a United States Peace Corps community development volunteer—a journey that inspired the heart of When the Universe Pivots. After a successful career in designing and developing strategic social change initiatives, she founded SoftEarth Insights Coaching and Consulting. Her deep connection to Senegal runs through her life and work. Naomi is married to Diomaye Faye, founder of the Pan African Federalist Movement and uncle of Senegal’s 5th President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. When the Universe Pivots is Naomi's first novel.
Copies will be available to purchase at the event. To buy a copy beforehand, visit: naomilshank.com
Attendance limited to 26.
Registration required.
A Reading with Naomi L. Shank
🎃 Boo! at the Dove
Saturday, October 31, 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
A Little Halloween Art Before the Haunting Begins!
Drop in wearing a costume—or not—for a little low-key Halloween fun for all ages before the serious trick-or-treating begins!
Enjoy Halloween coloring and doodling, face painting, a community Monster Mural where everyone can add something wonderfully weird, and, of course, a bowl of candy by the door.
Add some spooky music and a goofy Halloween photo spot, and you’ll be properly warmed up and ready to hit the streets.
A little art. A little spooky. A little sugar. Then off you go!
No registration required.
Fifth Sunday Open Mic
Final Date in 2026: November 29
On Fifth Sundays in 2026, from 12:30 until 3 pm, the Dove Block hosts an Open Microphone with time and space on the microphone for songs, music, short stories, and poems. You are invited to show our audience what you’ve been working on!
A sign-up sheet for five-minute segments will be available from 12:30 until 1:00, when the performance begins. First come, first served. All are welcome.
Come, perform, listen, enjoy light refreshments, have fun!
The featured speakers for November 29 will be Bruce Bennett and Joan Marcus.
Poet Bruce Bennett is the author of ten books of poetry and more than thirty chapbooks. His second New and Selected Poems, Just Another Day in Out Town, was published by Orchises Press in 2017. His most recent chapbook is IMAGES INTO WORDS (the Dove Block Project 2022) co-authored with poet Jim Crenner. Bennett was founder and editor of the journals Field and Ploughshares. From 1973 until 2014 he taught Literature and Creative Writing and directed the Visiting Writer Series at Wells College. In 1993 helped to found the Wells College Book Arts Center and served as Director of the Wells College Press. He also served as Chair of the English Department. In 2012, he was awarded a Pushcart Prize. He retired in June 2014. He lives in Aurora, New York. His poetry website is justanotherdayinjustourtown.com.
Poet Joan Marcus serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College, where she specializes in fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction. Her work appears in Alaska Quarterly Review; Fourth Genre, The Georgia Review; Laurel Review; The Smart Set; The Sun; 3 Quarks Daily; The Brooklyn Rail; The Journal, and elsewhere. She is two time winner of a Constance Saltonstall grant for prose writing. Her memoir, Avoidant Type, has been supported by juried residencies from the Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow and the Constance Saltonstall Foundation and longlisted for the 2027 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction prize. She lives in Ithaca, NY.
Fifth Sunday Open Mic is funded by The Dove Block Project and the Ontario County Arts Council and is curated by Stephen Lewandowski. For more information contact Steve at stachu14512@gmail.com or (585)554-4899. It is open to the public and free. Light refreshments will be served. Enjoy!
No registration required, but performers should arrive at 12:30 to sign up for a time slot.
The Arc Ontario: Creative Expressions
The first Monday of each month, the Creative Expressions Team from The Arc Ontario visits the Dove Block. Creative Expressions is a comprehensive service/therapeutic experience that fosters creativity through visual arts, music, and horticulture, encouraging individual to expand upon traditional methods of communication and interaction in an educational environment.
Creative Expressions is designed for people seeking to improve their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social skills by expressing themselves in a variety of creative ways, while getting involved in their community.
They offer an Art Program that gives individuals access to a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, book arts and digital animation by guided by our art specialist.
The Music program offers a wide range of musical experiences to promote the health and well-being of individuals by enhancing and transforming their lives.
Our Horticulturist provides experience using the senses to experience various aspects of gardening.