Buffalo Rising Online

Jun 23rd 2007, 9:51am By Laura Sargent

Perhaps the best way to sum up College Street Art Gallery is this: Admirable. As I rounded the corner of College Street, onto Allen, I found myself smack in front of the gallery's open door. Mike Mulley, Gallery Owner, was seated behind a small desk in the middle of the room, ready to answer any questions or address any of my concerns. I wanted to know how a small gallery has survived in Allentown for ten years. "I opened in October 1997 in the teeny spot on College that, some may remember, used to be the barber shop. I had a really progressive, forward thinking landlord. He gave me an opportunity to be here. Also, it's perseverance. I'm just too stubborn to give up. And of course, I've had a lot of support from the community. It is one of the few for-profit galleries left," Mulley said.

As I browsed around the current exhibition, a group of paintings by Miercarski, Mike Mulley continued to tell me a little about the gallery itself and what he tries to showcase. "A lot of what I show, ends up being photography, because I'm a photographer myself. But I show sculptures, paintings, anything from abstract to realism."

Most of us know that, although Buffalo has an emerging young art community, most galleries lend themselves towards larger name artists. "Eighty to ninety percent of the artists shown in here are local. I have openings about once a month, with student shows in April. The gallery is rentable for an entire month." Wait a minute, did he say an entire month? That is a very large amount of coverage for an artist attempting to get his feet wet.

I noticed that none of the paintings were overpriced and most were very reasonable. "I work in the artists community, not the art buyers community. People that buy art usually aren't going to buy from a local gallery as an investment piece. Every piece that has ever been purchased here, was purchased because the buyer was drawn to it."

I can see why. Buying from the Gallery not only supports our own artists right here in Buffalo, but you are actually buying a piece that is fresh to the market. Wait a few years and that piece may just be worth a lot more.

On my way out the door, list of upcoming opening receptions in hand, I asked Mike Mulley if he had anything to say to the artists. "When I first started, I had complete amateurs bring in travel pictures and I helped edit them. I have had, in the hundreds of artists here, from those who had never cut mat board to people that are business minded artists. In fact, if you had told me when I graduated college, that I would own an art gallery or be involved in the art community, I would have laughed at you. So just come by."

College Street Art Gallery, 244 Allen Street Buffalo NY 14201 (716) 882-9727