Exhibition Series

Buffalo Arts Studio’s 2024/25 Exhibition Program will be grounded by a series of exhibitions, workshops, and panel conversations that examine how late-stage capitalism has shifted the view of water and waterways from a resource of collective benefit to a commodity of individual interest and shareholder profit. Titled Waterfront View, the programming will be presented in partnership with grassroots activist and community empowerment organizations. Waterfront View will support the creation of new work that critically addresses contemporary issues surrounding economic and environmental justice, reflecting the belief that artists and curators can effect change through collaborations that balance community needs with artistic insight. These programs realize Buffalo Art Studios’s mission to provide fair compensation for working artists while creating cultural connections that consider the ways artwork, curatorship, and criticism engage diverse audiences within contemporary political discourse.

Waterfront View Programs:

Léwuga Tata Benson, Fueling Change: A Multimedia Exploration of Niger Delta’s Oil Crisis, July 26 – September 7, 2024

Joan Linder, Fulfillment, September 27 – November 9, 2024

Stephanie Rothenberg, Aquadisia, September 27 – November 9, 2024

Panel Discussion: New Polluters, October 25, 2024

Bartow + Metzgar + Werberig, Terrakwa: An investigation of the Erie Canal Across Time and Geography, January 24 – March 8, 2025

Jay Carrier, Niagara. It’s Great to be Here., January 24 – March 8, 2025

Displacement: Reclaiming Place, Space, and Memory Exhibition and Workshop Series was held at Buffalo Arts Studio and the surrounding east side neighborhood, an economically distressed and traditionally underserved Buffalo area. The series, in partnership with grassroots activist groups, promotes the creation of new work, educates emerging artists, and fosters critical dialogue about transnationalism, arts access, and social justice. Events will engage diverse communities while making contemporary discourse more accessible through compelling aesthetic forms. Target populations include the economically distressed east side, underserved youth, and creative communities navigating the complex intersection of race, gender, heritage, and disability.

Displacement: Reclaiming Place, Space, and Memory Programs:

Sa’dia Rehman, The Falls, March 24 – May 4, 2023

Panel Discussion: Making Accessible, February 24, 2023

Jodi Lynn Maracle, Where the Rust Meets the Land, January 27 – March 1, 2023

George Afedzi Hughes, Identity, Power, and Reconciliation, January 27 – March 1, 2023 – Awarded Best Exhibition, Small Gallery, Buffalo Spree Best of WNY 2023

Panel Discussion: Making Space, October 28, 2022

Matt Kenyon & Jason J. Ferguson, Homing, September 23 – November 4, 2023

Mizin Shin, World Network Models, September 23 – November 4, 2022

Navigating Identity focuses on the creation of new work that critically addresses contemporary issues surrounding transnationalism, intersectionality, and representational justice. It reflects the belief that artists and curators can effect change through collaborations that balance community needs with artistic insight. All programs are curated with the intent to spur dialogue between varied audiences while working towards social, economic, and environmental justice. These programs realize our mission to provide exposure for visual artists while creating community cultural connections that consider the ways artwork, curatorship, and criticism engage diverse communities within contemporary political discourse.

Navigating Identity Programs:

Tommy Nguyen, new gods, old America, April 22 – May 28, 2022 – Awarded Best Exhibition, Small Gallery, Buffalo Spree’s Best of WNY 2022

Crystal Z Campbell, VIEWFINDER, April 22 – May 14, 2022

Panel Discussion: Art as Political Action, March 25, 2022

CaldodeCultivo, Attica NOW, February 25 – April 8, 2022

Panel Discussion: Depicting Duality, October 22, 2021

Julia Bottoms, Because We Should, September 25 – November 6, 2021

Activism in the Arts is a program reflecting the belief that artists and curators can effect change through purposeful collaborations that balance community needs, artistic insight, and educational impact. This series intends to not only display powerful visual statements, but also to communicate ideas involving social, economic, environmental, and representational justice in meaningful and accessible ways, all while inspiring action within diverse communities.

“Through the Activism in the Arts series, artists will activate the transformative power of the arts to spark dialogue and inspire change around timely issues,” said Alma Carrillo, Executive Director of Buffalo Arts Studio. “The National Endowment for the Arts support makes it possible for Buffalo Arts Studio to empower our artists and our communities.”

Activism in the Arts Programs:

Justina Dziama, A Millimeter of Space, January 22 – March 6, 2021

Felipe Shibuya, Black Cherry, January 22 – March 6, 2021

Patrick Foran, Exploded View, September 25 – November 3, 2020

Adele Henderson, Industry and Abundance, September 25 – November 3, 2020

Media, Image, and Perception in Contemporary Culture, October 23, 2020

Art Ecologies: Understanding the Environmental Impact of Public Art, August 28, 2020

Restoration at Silo City, 2020

The 2019 and 2020 Exhibition Program featured a special exhibition series reflecting Buffalo Arts Studio’s belief that artists and curators can effect change through purposeful collaborations balancing community need with artistic excellence. This two-year series, titled Justice in the Arts, promotes the creation of new work that fosters critical dialogue about social, ecological, economic, and representational justice through panel discussions, exhibitions, and residencies. It also educates emerging and student artists through formal classes, guided mentorship, and teaching assistantships. The program continues to expand arts access to underrepresented artists and audiences through community partnerships, public forums, studio space, working facilities, and hands-on workshops. This eight-exhibition series realizes Buffalo Arts Studio’s mission to provide exposure for visual artists, create community cultural connections through exhibitions, public art, and educational programs, and give special attention to artists from underserved and marginalized communities.

Justice in the Arts Programs:

Phyllis Thompson, Making Memories: Telling Visual Stories, September 27 – November 2, 2019

Paloma Barhaugh-Bordas, Understory, September 27 – November 2, 2019

Stacey Robinson, Black Imaginings, July 26 – September 7, 2019

Black Kirby, Night Boy, July 26 – September 7, 2019

Panel Discussion: Seeds of Change: Land, Trust, and Community, Friday, June 28, 2019

Reinhard Reitzenstein, WTF (Where’s the Forest), May 24 – June 28, 2019

Obsidian Bellis, Apothecary for Sis, April 6 – May 3, 2019

Annie Bielski, Joes & Anns, April 6 – May 3, 2019

Sheila Barcik, From the Core, January 25 – March 2, 2019

Lee Hoag, Amalgams, January 25 – March 2, 2019