Buffalo on the Bowery
Over the last 150 years Buffalo, New York has experienced its share of highs and lows. But from the rise of and fall of a great industrial economy, to the population loss of recent years, the city has always hosted a vibrant and influential art scene. Buffalo on the Bowery is an auction of artworks by artists with strong associations to Buffalo, proceeds of which will support two essential Buffalo institutions both, in their own way, devoted to preserving the city and encouraging and supporting communities that foster this unique creative energy. Artwork by artists, both emerging and established will be represented.
People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center are teaming up to bring this exciting auction to New York. Both grassroots organizations strive to improve the local Buffalo community, whether by directly addressing housing conditions on the West Side, or by providing an invaluable cultural asset to Buffalo’s downtown neighborhood. Outside of Buffalo, both organizations are notable on a larger level—they have great worth to the rest of the state of New York and far beyond. PUSH strives to create a replicable model of grassroots neighborhood organizing and redevelopment that can be employed in other low-income neighborhoods throughout the Rust Belt. Hallwalls is a center for contemporary art from all over the world and a sounding board for challenging ideas, expressed in an atmosphere of freedom.
We are pleased to have Buffalo-based artist Julian Montague serving as the curator for the auction. Julian is an active member of the Buffalo arts community, and has been showing regularly in New York City with Black & White Gallery since 2005. With support from Hallwalls—an organization with a strong history of promoting artists at critical phases of their careers—Julian’s selection will feature artworks by significant artists to whom we should all be paying attention This event occurs at a grave moment for government funding of cultural institutions, which continues to be cut severely—most recently on a county level.