Buffalo Rising Online

May 31st, 3:18pm By Eli George

Like many museums, The Albright-Knox Art Gallery has just begun an Artist-in-Resident (AIR) Program. Their first artist to ever partake is Ingrid Calame. Calame is a an artist who traces the evidence of human presence in the form of stains, graffiti, tire tracks, and other odd markings on surfaces.

Calame will arrive in Buffalo June 6th and stay for three weeks, working with her team and volunteers from the gallery. Nancy Spector, Associate Curator of Education at the gallery says, “This is the first year that we’ve done it. We invite a contemporary artist to come and create a community-based work.”

The gallery will hold a gathering on the 6th, which depending on Calame’s schedule she may or may not be available to attend. Spector says, “If it rains, it’s harder for her to do her work. So things like this can affect what happens.”

The get together will run from 5 till 7 PM in the education department classrooms. There, participants will be able to create a page for Calame’s Welcome to Buffalo book while learning about her work. Also, throughout her entire stay in Buffalo and on, the gallery will continue work on its Oral History project and participants will be able to contribute from 5 till 10 PM.

In January 2009, Calame's work created during this three-week period will be exhibited as well as the Oral History project. “There’s an oral history. That’ll be an ongoing project that will be used in conjunction in January,” says Spector. Spector explains that the work created by Calame should be entirely Buffalo-based, but may not be. Spector says that in some of Calame’s past work she has left things individual, while in other instances, has combined work. The same is true for the exhibit. It will be left up to Calame to decide what happens.

Calame will be doing tracings all over the city. One of which will be in the gallery’s own parking lot. That will be on June 13th from 3 till 7 PM. The gallery is opening the event to the public to come watch Calame in action and have the chance to eat a snack while watching Calame and her team at work. Some of the other locations Calame will be tracing at is the Valley Community Center, specifically their basketball court, and one of the grain elevators. Spector says, “If anybody knows of any really cool marks on the ground…she’s looking for that.”

On June 20th, the official meet the artist event will be held. The details of the event are not yet available. Check back on the AIR website to find out more information about this event, other AIR events, and to learn more about Calame. You can also call 882-8700 for more information.