Buffalo Rising Online

What I hope viewers will take away from the show is that Buffalo is a changing city. There is more of an international face, one that is neither black nor white. Many refugees are here because of the Refugee Resettlement Act. Another demographic shift which surprises many is that as of the last census figures, Buffalo’s white collar sector outnumbers the traditional image of the city as a blue collar manufacturing town. Working with the different photographers has been similar to working with different directors who had individual visions of how they perceived me, the surroundings, what appearance they wanted the images to achieve:

Kenn Morgan is a fixture in the local art world, attending openings with his 35mm film camera and shooting regulars, then giving them their photo wrapped within cardstock with a cutout for the faces. Morgan originated the idea for the show at a late summer barbecue last year. He is a steadfast holdout to black and white film photography and shuns digital cameras.

Others in the exhibit have embraced digital photography such as Lukia Costello, Gene Witkowski, Ken Barney and Jerry Greenberg.

Jerry Greenberg is locally known for his images of old Buffalo. Greenberg has been shooting images of Buffalo since the 1930s when he would drive a delivery truck throughout the city. Included in his portfolio are many of the buildings that have since been torn down and are an immeasurable loss to the fabric of this city. One catches a glimpse of what the city was like – a once bustling vibrant metropolis packed with pedestrians and a thriving business community.

Ken Barney experiments with digital and film photography and has recently transitioned to videography and film production. His images are rich with a textural sensuality.

Gene Witkowski photographs Buffalo’s industrial landmarks focusing on the decay engulfing the area. Witkowski focuses on places such as the grain mills, Central Terminal, the waterfront, abandoned structures, ghosts of the city’s past. His urban explorations take the viewer to places within the city that are forgotten or deserted. For this project he was most interested in capturing my inner reality in some of the city’s grittier environments.

Robert Schultz utilizes infrared in his images and has mostly been associated with photographing landmarks, landscapes and still objects. By employing infrared in this project it is both a departure from his usual subject matter and also a return to his origins as an Olan Mills portraitist.

Robert Minick was most captivated by capturing micro-facial expressions, the slight tilt of a brow, the faint trace of a smile, the movement of one’s lips while engaged in conversation.