With the sun shining, grills ablaze and the luscious green scenery, summertime is officially upon us. Probably everyone’s favorite season here, with a wide range of outdoor activities and events happening every week, there is never a dull moment in this city. Before your summer calendar fills up, I’d like to point out a few arty things to check out.
Saturday, July 9th – Western New York Book Arts Center is hosting their (FREE) 5th Annual Buffalo BookFest at their downtown location (468 Washington St @ E Mohawk St), from 11am-5pm. This outdoor event will feature live printmaking by local and visiting artists using a steamroller, and all prints created will available for purchase. How cool is that?! There will also be book arts demonstrations for all ages that include learning about letterpress, screen-printing, marble papermaking and origami. Plus over 30 vendors will be on site selling their handmade arts and crafts. Come out with your family and friends, meet the artists participating, and support your local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Saturday, July 16 – Just Buffalo Literary Center’s highly anticipated event the Silo City Reading Series launches at 7pm. These events are a hybrid interactive sensation that intertwines poetry, music and visual art and they are FREE. The July lineup includes poets Natalie Shapero and Janet McNally, the local band Difficult Night and local visual artist Jaime Schmidt. THIS IS A MUST ATTEND EVENT and it’s free. P.S. In case you miss this, the second one in the series occurs in August, with a different lineup.
Wednesday, July 27 – Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, is holding it’s most popular event, A Mid Summer Night’s Draw. Usually in writing these sort of entries, one would only pick a few artists to mention, but this list is amazing-Bruce Adams, Joel Brenden, Kyle Butler, Tricia Butski, Millie Chen, Emily Churco, Matt Crane, El Yames, Patrick Foran, Fotini Galanes, Timothy Genco, Sussan Giallombardo, Pam Glick, Bobby Griffiths, Michael Hanna, Mickey Harmon, Joyce Hill, Pet Kewley, Rob Lynch, Alicia Malik, Pedro Manuel, Michael Mararian, Candace Keegan Masters, Esther Neisen, Alicia Paolucci,, J Tim Raymond, Jaime Schmidt, Katherine Sehr, Carol Case Siracuse, Mark Snyder, Jonathan Stafford, Adam Weekley & Mary Wyrick. Buy great art for cheap. GO! Especially if you have never been. It’s an awesome experience-you get to watch artists make artwork in front of your eyes, then you have the option of buying the drawing you just watched be created. Doors @ 6:30pm, Entry $5.
Saturday, August 6 – Buffalo Society of Artists, one of the oldest operating arts organizations in the country, is celebrating their 125th anniversary with a gala, the BEAUX ARTS BALL. Guests are expected to attend in the appropriate 1920’s attire-ladies & gents, and dance the night away with an escape from the past. Tickets for members $100 and non-members $125.
And when you feel the need for some shade and air conditioning, don’t forget to check out these exhibits and support your local institutions, galleries and organizations:
Joan Linder: Operation Sunshine, at the Albright-Knox on view July 9 – October 30.
Shade: Clyfford Still & Mark Bradford, at the Albright-Knox, on view now thru October 2.
UNKNOWN KNOWNS: New Work by Gary Sczerbaniewicz, at BT&C Gallery, on view now thru July 30.
Eikoh Hosoe: Revisitations To A Vacuum’s Nest, at CEPA Gallery, on view now thru August 27.
A Year from Monday: Recent Work by Wenhua Shi, at Squeaky Wheel, on view now through September 3.