Our hearts were warmed after spotting the street art of Mr. Rodgers waving at us under an overpass on the way to work on day. We were fans of Dellarious before we even really knew what it was. His pictures of iconic Rochester places, his portraits of musical legends, and social justice heroes both local and global have found a perfect home at Parkleigh. We wanted to know more about the creative and activist spirit of Mike Dellaria and how he generates these incredible images that not only touch our hearts but also inspire conversations about the world we live in today. Here’s the scoop that store manager, Hali, got for us.

-What’s your current inspiration?
Megan Rapinoe & the U.S. women's soccer team. And everybody using their voice/platform to speak up against injustice and bigotry, and trying to enact positive change in the world.

-What’s a favorite piece of work you’ve made?
It's so hard to pinpoint just one, because every piece has a story behind it, or is something that I felt strongly about at that moment in time and space when it was created. The Frederick Douglass 490 piece is a memorable one. The Jazz series (from last year) made me happy. Mr. Rogers holding a sign that says "Love Your Neighbor" in three languages (English, Arabic, Spanish) is a piece that seems just as relevant now, if not more so, than when I made it a couple years ago. Whatever my last piece was; whatever my next piece is.

-Why do you like selling your work at Parkleigh?
You guys are an absolute joy to work with, and product display is always top notch.

-How do you stay up to date with current trends/events in society as far as your work?
I try to read as much as I can (from all points of view), and probably watch way too much TV, and probably log too much time on social media. And so I input all of this data, and then try to creatively output whatever I find particularly inspiring or enlightening.