"A palette paints Buffalo black and white...and every color in between."
By Marcus Scott
Ribbons of stark chromaticity lick the
walls of a small studio exhibit in the belly of the Allentown district of Buffalo. A draping phosphorescent glow hits the walls and floor. Inside the four crème blushed walls are two men
in glasses--one who is statuesque, with salt and pepper hair and a playful charm
that borders on caricature and the other, who is stocky with champagne colored
hair and a epigrammatic and monosyllabic dialogue that makes him all the more
intriguing. Their names are Glenn E. Murray and Michael Mulley.
Only 12 years ago, during the
post-grunge scene of 1997, Mulley, publisher of glossy zine ANGST at the time,
opened the small art gallery and dubbed it the College Street Gallery with fellow Buffalo artists. Already having his footing in photography and
print, working with magazines and newspapers like Buffalo Spree Magazine,
Artvoice
and Canadian jazz magazine Coda, Mulley set out to add to the
collective beauty of Buffalo. Once a tiny shack around the corner from its
current sight, the College Street Gallery became a co-op in November 2008, and is pulling itself up from the
bootstraps, becoming a testimony to Mulley's mission
statement.
"I opened around the corner in
this little teeny room in 1997, and in June 1998, when a space opened up, I
moved here ever since. I have a really great roommate," Mulley chuckles as
he stares at Sample, the refined restaurant behind him. "I managed to
be here 11 years."
Giving local artists the opportunity
to showcase their work via this venue allows more freedom of expression,
speaking to the mind without words. And in this small studio, colors jump from
the walls, as the work of local artists such as photographer Robert Schultz and
painter Candace Keegan, line the walls with stunning visuals. Each work of art,
whether a monochrome Polaroid print or runny splashes of greasepaint in a picture
frame, speaks volumes from a metaphysical megaphone. Mulley says it wasn't easy
maintaining the gallery by himself, but with their combined efforts, Mulley and
company keep the hinges on the gallery's doors greased, so other Buffalo
residents can enjoy local art.
"It was sort of an economic
reality--running out of artists," Mulley said, looking around the studio,
as this particular gala begins. "I guess it costs more than it did
11 years ago."
With an impressive range of fine art,
the photographer says the art gallery tends to get more photography than any
other art form; however, more painting and sculpture work has been included in
recent years. This time around, with more than 30 paintings and photos on the
walls, as well as a sculpture in the center of the room's hardwood floor,
the gallery is burning bright--with new art shows every four weeks.
A beautiful Evan Everhart piece--a
smooth coffee table/mantelpiece-couch sculpture made of hardwood--sits under the
draped lights, looking like a shrine in the small gallery. Mulley calls this work "great stuff". It looks like
the gallery, as well as its art, is taking on a new image: chic. Just look at
the four-wall décor of the studio space, its surrounding neighbors, boxes of
and bins of photos and painting for sale, and even the complementary entourage
of budding artists greeting people at the doorways.
This time, the gallery is showing off an armada of Buffalo masterwork for the city's culture connoisseurs. For example, there's the work of Villa Maria College professor Francesco Amaya, an inveterate artist and regular at the gallery, whose work of four celebrated women in history is causing waves. The mural, created in black coal remnants, shows the women, including that of Eva Péron, standing side by side as if they were working to change the world, as they had decades ago.
Other pictures are
not as glamorous and un-nerving as this on the right: A historical 1962
Ektachrome snapshot of an almost ethereal pair of legs in fishnets and high
heels sits next to a series Buffalo landscape photos recently shot by Murray,
which in turn, is next to a series of more photos. This series of professional
saturated black-and-white Kodak HIE infrared film that makes the room glow is
known as "I Shot Lucy," a cluster of attention-grabbing snapshots of
local artiste and photographer Lucy Yau in an idyllic wood, shot two years ago.
Sitting opposite Amaya's work, on the far left, is the colorful, schematic "Lolita" piece by Candice Keegan, of a flaxen girl tasting the corn syrup of her
large lollipop sucker.
Rather than showing off the
supercilious and conceited monotone of wine-and-cheese art aristocracy, the
gallery puts Buffalo illuminati in its display case, showing off a chronological
and significant feel that can only be expressed by the city's residents. They
are the storytellers and trendsetters of Buffalo; through art, they aid in
holding onto the city's history.
"You've got an artist's photo from 1962, next to Glenn's. who is a novice photographer (so he says); next to Nick's, a
20-year-old motion photographer; next to a 45-year-old carpenter's work, next to a
57-year-old motion photographer's display. It's amazing that we have that diversity and I
think that's really neat."
A new show starts the first Friday of every month, with the next beginning March 8th.
It has been a tremendous pleasure to be associated with Michael Mulley and his gem- College Street Gallery. Back in 2002, in the early stages of my photographic career, Mike took a look at 10-12 of my framed images, which were resting where floor meets wall inside the Gallery, and picked 4 to hang in a Photo Show that was, unknown to me, upcoming at his space. I thought it was so cool that he allowed me to, like in the old days, bring my work in and have him critique it right then and there! It was then that I learned that this type of interaction with artists is what sets Mr. Mulley apart from many Gallery owners/proprietors: he knows how artists tick; and he knows what to say and not say to them as they try and gain a comfort level with this very important member of the cultural community. He is real, and he speaks the truth! He does not hide behind his position in the local art scene; he represents it masterfully.
Being one of the artists in the current co-op at College Street Gallery has given me an opportunity to work on my portfolio, and stay disciplined as a visual artist- aware that I am responsible for dropping off new work every month. Also, it is very comforting to know that all my efforts as an artist pay off in that my work hangs at a Gallery run by someone who will showcase it and appreciate it for what it is: my visions of my reality done my way! Bob Schultz.