City September 4, 2012 10:54 AM

Steal This Idea: Buffalo's buzz

queenseyes 14

It can feel good to be the city setting a precedent every once in a while. Torontonian and BRO writer Lorne Opler recently came across a post in The Grid that suggests that Toronto should be looking to Buffalo's Silo City as a place where progressive ideas are born. How 'bout that?

We've been covering a series of art installations and performances at Silo City over the last couple of years and it seems like the momentum is building - especially now that work is underway to convert an old freight house into a product showroom and public space (see here).

With all of the rest of the developments taking place in Buffalo, it is Silo City that continues to capture the imagination of people living in other cities. We are right now in the midst of head to head performances taking place at Silo City - last week it was 'American Grain' and this weekend it's 'City of Night'. Let's keep up the momentum and show that Buffalo's creatives are up to the challenge of converting our industrial heritage sites into artistic playgrounds. From David Haines (The Grid):

The site will soon become home to a permanent nonprofit arts centre and building-material manufacturers. The space has hosted a trombone quartet, theatre performances, and installations by local artists that wouldn't look out of place at Nuit Blanche.

Above photos of 'American Grain' by Lukia Costello Photography - Studio and location photography that conveys the unique character, beauty and personality of individuals, businesses, events and editorial assignments.

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Comments

14 Comments Leave a comment

Travelrrr

September 4, 2012 11:26 AM

It goes without saying--repurposing these silos as centers of art and innovation can, and will, put Buffalo on the international cool map. For sure.

[ Reply ]

Score: 13 ( 17 votes )

Captain Picard

September 4, 2012 11:39 AM

Lukia, your photographs are fantastic.

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Score: 3 ( 7 votes )

paulsobo

September 4, 2012 3:13 PM

I think it would be more important to interest Canadian cities to use our Silo's for grain and other commodities than to interest them to use our silos for artistic purposes.

Its long over due for Buffalo to have a proper Port Authority that would market advertise and manage our port facilities, as well as, our surrounding facilities such as our grain silos.

Its stupid to let the NFTA try to do the job of a Port Authority and a Bridge Authority. Stupid explains why the NFTA was never able to get a bridge to the outer harbor and why the grain silos, idle land and port facilities (withing the NFTA control) were never marketed.

For leaders of Buffalo, they arent leaders ... instead they are laggards and dullards spoiled in non-performing and uncompetitive positions appointed by politicians. Its no wonder they produce similar results as Muriel Howard at Buffalo State once produced.

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Score: 2 ( 12 votes )

sonyactivision

September 6, 2012 7:56 PM

There are few active players in the grain storage space. The biggest, Bunge and Cargill are well aware of Buffalo's silos and logistics. And they happily do their business elsewhere. It would require huge subsidies and tax breaks to get the silos returned to service for the few jobs that would create. A total waste of money.

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replied to paulsobo

Score: 0 ( 0 votes )

Magnum

September 4, 2012 8:57 PM

FU Toronto. I just saw a comedy show on CBC(chan. 16)called "22 minutes". The show pokes fun using the news. It mentions how a gorilla escaped from the Buffalo zoo (true story) and returned back to the zoo in a hour after it did all that it could do in Buffalo. Harsh.

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Score: -1 ( 3 votes )

PaulBuffalo

September 4, 2012 10:20 PM

Harsh? Thin-skinned. Colbert, alone, has skewered Canada repeatedly. It's all in good fun.

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replied to Magnum

Score: 1 ( 3 votes )

EricOak

September 5, 2012 11:11 AM

Why is it "good fun" to make inaccurate and damaging swipes at a community?

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replied to PaulBuffalo

Score: -2 ( 4 votes )

pampiniform

September 5, 2012 6:17 PM

Well, a lot of people have a sense of humor and can take a little ribbing instead of getting all defensive and up in arms about every little thing.

[ Reply ]

replied to EricOak

Score: 2 ( 4 votes )

PaulBuffalo

September 5, 2012 7:45 PM

Well, if it's not good fun then you may want to start censoring comedic routines from last night's episode of Jon Stewart -- seriously, they really insulted Charlotte NC -- to Johnny Carson to The Marx Brothers and generations of vaudeville shtick. I blame Aristophanes who started this low-brow humor.

EricOak, you are probably the biggest Buffalo booster on BRO -- and that's admirable -- but shouldn't every city be able to laugh at itself? This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a staple of Canadian television. It's not The National: Peter Mansbridge reporting that gorilla story would be disturbing (but probably even funnier).

[ Reply ]

replied to EricOak

Score: 0 ( 0 votes )

EricOak

September 6, 2012 11:09 AM

A city can laugh at itself, and underdogs can deride the puffery of champions, but it's rarely funny when the strong guy laughs at the one who's fallen down. The Marx brothers understood this.

So, I find it strange to defend a provincial and conceited Toronto attitude. Maybe you have to have lived in Toronto to understand how small-minded it can be.

I am enchanted by Buffalo, but not blind. To me it's a valiant and achingly beautiful city, but like every city (and I mean every city), it has failed itself.

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replied to PaulBuffalo

Score: 1 ( 1 votes )

PaulBuffalo

September 6, 2012 11:31 AM

So, I find it strange to defend a provincial and conceited Toronto attitude.

Eric, I know you have a Toronto fixation, but This Hour Has 22 Minutes is produced and taped in Halifax.

... but it's rarely funny when the strong guy laughs at the one who's fallen down.

Who is the strong guy here? A comedy program from Halifax? Really?

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replied to EricOak

Score: 1 ( 1 votes )

EricOak

September 6, 2012 2:13 PM

Yes, really. CBC = Toronto vision in Canada.
I'm not sure why you think I have a fixation with Toronto--I only think about Toronto when I see something tremendously stupid coming out of it or something bearing the imprint of its provincialism. Someone commented about a CBC program--I made a comment about CBC/Toronto ignorance. That's not fixation.

The larger point: maybe it's "good fun" for a city to laugh at itself, though I'm not sure why. But this is not a city laughing at itself--it's Halifax/CBC/Toronto smugness laughing at a city it knows nothing about. Buffalo is fighting to reclaim itself and correct sophomoric misconceptions so that it can flourish again. It's a serious business.

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replied to PaulBuffalo

Score: 1 ( 1 votes )

whatever

September 5, 2012 9:11 PM

Some of you say we should have a sense of humor in good fun - about being dissed?

Let's keep in mind this insult toward us all started with the gorilla's choices while loose, which were even more harsh than what the CBC host said.

Koga showed disdain for Buffalo's culture by not staying out a few hours and going a mere two blocks from the zoo to tour the Darwin Martin House. Even if architecture isn't his "thing", if he had just done that out of respect for our historic fabric local culture heritage, then CBC wouldn't have been able to pile on.

Could we express protest and petitions in gorilla sign language somehow? At least Anderson Cooper, Tom Brady, and the tweeting hockey players all eventually apologized after they understood the pain they caused us. But I'm not sure how we can move on from this one unless Koga at least tries to make amends. Maybe he'd be willing to appear in CVB videos inside the DMH, grain elevators, etc? Or he could help with the gorilla gardening idea paulsobo suggested outside the tragic Verizon building. We need healing somehow.

[ Reply ]

replied to Magnum

Score: 1 ( 3 votes )