One of Buffalo’s most dynamic and driven building and construction arts personalities, Dennis Maher, is now seeing the fruits of a program-based relationship that he struck up with the Albright-Knox. Along with the gallery’s Innovation Lab, Maher was able to position his innovative Assembly House 150 concept, to create Society for the Advancement of Construction Related Arts (SACRA).
On January 10, 12 students completed the coursework, that involved a heavy concentration on design and construction, as well as carpentry and woodworking. Moving forward, the graduates will all possess a special knowhow when it comes to design and construction, that they will take with them throughout their lives. These skills will allow them to advance in their fields of choice, by giving them a boost when it comes to education, training, and jobs.
The innovative program immerses the students into the world of design arts, with the intentions of tackling building and design issues pertaining to neighborhood stabilization, preservation, and workforce training in Western New York.
“Last September, we welcomed 13 trainees to our workshop space at Assembly House. On January 10, 2018 we graduated 12, and have already placed many in meaningful jobs in construction related industries,”said Dennis Maher, Assembly House 150 Executive Director. “Over the course of the term, students worked on the design/construction of objects, furniture, and environments.”
The success of this program, and the relationship between the two entities, has proved to be very successful. It will be exciting to see how SACRA grows in years to come.
For more information, visit assemblyhouse150.org.