Buffalo and Beyond (In)
This weekend is ripe with choices in the vastness of Buffalo’s arts community, and serves as a reminder of what we have to enjoy in our fine city. Last night, as I walked down Main Street with Toronto artist, Kate Wilson, included in the Beyond/In exhibit at UB Center for the Arts, and her friend Helen, I duly noted their surprise by what they found here. My guests were making pronouncements relating Buffalo to the finest cities in the world. It was a nice reminder of why I love it here. I must say, that these visitors transformed our city for me for a night.
We all scurried to bid on a few pieces at the Roswell Park Paint Box Art Auction held at Starlight Studios on Delaware, then a casual and fast dinner at Salsaritas with friends, before we hit the art trail. Chippewa was hopping with retro dance music. As we walked across Main Street to CEPA Helen proclaimed, “Wow, this is like Amsterdam!” Into the Market Arcade, “What an amazing building…this is so French!” Finishing with the exceptional art works at CEPA, we wandered up to Squeaky Wheel on the next block, passing the theatre-goers enjoying Curtain Up. The dark street allowed us to view audiences in their finest during intermission at Irish Classical, tuxedoes and gowns at Studio Arena, and the glorious marquee of Shea’s. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a finer night to be on Main Street.
At Squeaky Wheel we laughed about a fellow TO artist RM Vaughan’s telling of his experience writing art criticism in a simple video installation, and enjoyed Yvonne Buchanan’s installation downstairs. Ready to return through the rain to Hallwalls to finish up our evening, Helen reminded me that there are taxi’s in Buffalo, one call and we were on our way. Truly metropolitan.
Image: Kate Wilson’s wall drawing in progress at UB Center for the Arts
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doc
It's unfortunate that your Toronto companions were only able to transform for you the city that you love for only one night, Ms. Gaasch. What are you going to do when your friends return to Toronto? Personally I don't need any sort of external validation to keep me feeling absolutely smug about our great city. It's nice when a compliment comes but I don't expect it or solicit it. Buffalo is a great city and that, to me, is a matter of fact. One of the problems with Buffalonians is that they always seem to be begging for this sort of praise, approval, validation, etc. apparently to stem the angst of chronic inferiority. It's sickening to me and I suspect to outsiders. Sadly, one of the more predominant themes of Buffalonians seems to be "please like me. I'm begging you to like me, please like my city, do you like my city?, oh, pretty pleeeeeze." And when somebody does throw us a bone we are all agog over their (hopefully sincere) commentary. Buffalo is a fine city with absolutely beautiful architecture, culture, weather, people, etc., etc., etc. Just believe it for once. Truly believe it. How dare we enslave ourselves to the opinions of others.
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artbuff
doc, Good points. I honestly love living here all the time, year round. What I would say my friends helped me with was realizing that we are a force to be reckoned with. Try a night on the town, imagining you are in Amsterdam or Paris. But do it without going anywhere. Open to something foreign, discovery and reenvisioning. The transformation can be magical.
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zenfur
Doc, wow... External validation, from time to time, is nice. We shouldn't rely on it, but recognition for anything from a job well done to our cities wonderful characteristics feels good. So someone wrote a fluffy peice about Buffalo with one line on external validation...so what? Please don't take the wind out of some of our best Buffalo cheerleaders sails.
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