Rising out of Buffalo’s
post-industrial Eastside, is the hugely successful Larkin at Exchange Complex.
With its 2,200 gleaming windows, well-designed spaces and countless amenities,
it is a stunning example of adaptive reuse of a city’s existing building stock.
Best of all, it is a model of how a restoration done right can become the
cornerstone for rebuilding an entire neighborhood.
During the past two years, I have done a lot of exploration
in the outskirts around the Larkin. On the streets and in the abandoned houses and
factories, I have found discarded photos, old wood, trashed toys and more. What
some people see as urban decay, I see as the raw materials telling us stories
about our past and our future. All that is needed is the desire to seek out
these fascinating layers of time. I have recycled and repurposed these treasures into
paintings, collages and assemblages. A selection of these works is now on
display in the First Floor Gallery at Larkin at Exchange. They will be
on view until the end of November. Also, I’ll be there for a “Meet &
Greet” from Noon until 2 pm on Friday, November 8. Stop by, see the show, try a ‘rustbelt’
cookie and enjoy the energy of this amazing building!
Larkin at Exchange is at 726 Exchange Street, just a few minutes from Downtown Buffalo.
