Now entering its third year, the UB Arts Collaboratory is turning its sights inward, unabashedly focusing on the abundance of inspiration and creativity fostered locally. Launching officially in coordination with UB’s spring semester, the Collaboratory is offering a wide variety of programming that shines the spotlight on Buffalo-based visual and performing artists across all disciplines including storytellers, painters and hip-hop musicians, as well as a residency by the internationally recognized artist, Asad Raza (lead image).
Raza’s Working Artists Lab will assemble a group of UB and locally based musicians, poets and artists for an investigation and celebration of the past, present and future of Lake Erie and the ecosystems and communities surrounding it.
Born and raised in Buffalo to Pakistani immigrant parents, Raza is currently based in Berlin, Germany and has garnered a worldwide reputation as a prolific multi-disciplinary artist. Known for his collaborations, Raza’s Working Artists Lab will assemble a group of UB and locally based musicians, poets and artists for an investigation and celebration of the past, present and future of Lake Erie and the ecosystems and communities surrounding it. The Lab culminates in two artworks commissioned by the Front International 2022: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art–Orientation and Delegation—involving outdoor sculpture, sailing and song. Participants will be active in the Working Artists Lab intensive, April 1–May 13, 2022 at Silo City, Assembly House, Canalside Longshed, UB Center for the Arts, and other locations.
“Homegrown is a natural extension of what the Arts Collaboratory has been working on since its inception,” said Bronwyn Keenan, director. “Buffalo has an incredibly active and passionate arts community, and coming out of the pandemic’s inward focus, we felt the time was right to celebrate the art and artists we have right here in our own backyard.”
The Collaboratory’s street art installation at UB’s Center for the Arts will feature work from Johny Chow and Mickey Harmon, two well-known Buffalo artists who’ve dedicated their time and resources to making art for the entire city to enjoy. Chow is also a musician and the owner of the popular Misuta Chows on Main Street. Harmon owns Pine Apple Gallery on Allen Street. The City Talks to Itself, Part 2 will display their new works in the CFA’s atrium. Harmon’s mural, City of No Illusions, is a tribute to the Queen City, while Chow will bring the radical vibe of Buffalo’s street art indoors with incisive commentaries on capitalism and corporate culture.
In addition, the Arts Collaboratory has put together a season of labs, installations, classes, concerts and workshops that have all grown from the fertile ground of UB and Buffalo’s arts communities to commemorate this year’s theme of HOMEGROWN.
In March, there will be an exhibition by 2021/2022 Artist in Residence, Tayron Lopez (Taiitan). Taiitan’s works explore the subconscious mind and the psychological effects of growing up in urban communities plagued by violence, poverty, colorism, racism and inequality. Exhibition: March 18 – April 18, 2022, at The Cass Gallery, 500 Seneca St.
At the end of April, there will be a showcase of talent and storytelling featuring Buffalo’s women of hip-hop for Ladies First. Curated by Schondra Aytch, the genius behind Sneakvibing, Ladies First will be a celebration of all the women who’ve given so much to the scene, but still haven’t gotten their due. One night only: Saturday, April 30, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Torn Space Theater, 612 Fillmore Ave.
Throughout the spring, the Collaboratory will be presenting the sixth season of Outside Influence, hosted by local hero ToneyBoi and dedicated to Buffalo’s thriving hip-hop scene. This spring, Outside Influence will be filming—directed by Brett Deneve–at Buffalo’s Burchfield Penney Art Center.
The Collaboratory will also be launching Buffalo Picks, a weekly social media feature in which local artists and experts highlight the upcoming events and performances listed on the Buffalo Arts Calendar that they’re looking forward to attending.
Show Your Work will continue throughout the spring, with the goal of photographing and interviewing every working artist in Buffalo. Selected portraits are on view in the windows of the Sidway Building, on the corner of Main and Goodell streets at the gateway to downtown.
The UB Arts Collaboratory is a strategic initiative designed to create an environment in which creative collaboration can flourish. The Arts Collaboratory brings UB and Buffalo-based artists together to spark innovation and share their work with the world. For information on all of the Arts Collaboratory’s programs, visit: buffalo.edu/arts-collaboratory.
