Tonight at 5 PM, a special exhibit opens in the LINK space at the
Albright Knox as part of the Gusto Free Friday Series. Area senior high
teens involved with the Future Curators program have selected work from over
400 submissions from their peers for a show dubbed Spectrum:
Daydreams of Reality. This program is currently the only known
program of its kind to be hosted by a museum; it turns the spotlight on
our young artists who learn to develop a critical eye.
The Future Curators program began four years ago as an after-school
program for students who are interested in careers in the art world.
Following a rigorous application process, only fourteen participants are
selected from a pool of applicants from Western New York. Through the
program, students learn every aspect of organizing an art exhibition,
including issuing calls for work, selecting work, writing texts,
installing artwork and publicizing the show. Future Curators encourages
our youth to focus on, and become involved with, the arts in their own
backyard instead of jetting off to New York, Chicago or Los Angeles to
pursue curating careers. A few young curators may now get their toe in
the door for a college internship and they all participate in making
connections with Buffalo professionals. In a few short years, these kids
will be responsible for shaping our community’s perspective on artwork.
In selecting work for Spectrum: Daydreams of Reality, the students
considered the originality of each submission, the artist’s technique,
the work’s movement and composition, and the work’s overall aesthetic. Works in the exhibition are in a variety of media, including painting,
works on paper, photography and sculpture. “They all express a unifying
feeling of whimsicality that one would find in daydreams,” Future
Curator Joseph Polino stated. The teens will be leading the evening
tour based on a quirky adaptation of the traditional children’s game,
“Mother May I”.
The evening will also include an open mic event from 6 to 10 pm that
will feature a spectrum of performances in the Gallery’s Sculpture
Garden and at 7 pm, there will e a screening of the director’s cut of
the cult film Donnie Darko (2001), directed by Richard Kelly and
starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Drew Barrymore.
Friday, May 21, 5:00 pm FREE
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
1285
Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222
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Laura Duquette is a former ballerina who now dances with words
and punctuation. She has a knack for asking questions faster than the
speed of sound, and her interviews are often off the cuff and personal.
She is Co-Owner of 12 Grain
Studio, a Buffalo based creative firm that gives typical web design a
kick in the ass.