‘ADOPT AN ANCESTOR’ – AT 464 GALLERY

I found photo albums thrown out to the curb in front of a demolished house. There was apparently no one left to care for all these mementos and no way of finding out who these discarded ancestors were. The photos were so precious that I wanted to preserve them in some form. To me, they represented all the millions of people who have passed through this city. Each picture is unique and yet so universal that it could be from almost anyone’s family. They look like my ancestors and perhaps like some of yours as well. I took a group of the photos out of the albums and surrounded them with bits and pieces of abandoned Buffalo – graffiti, empty houses and decaying landscapes. They are framed in recycled wood with its own story to tell. It is my attempt to put the past and present together and to honor these unknown people. I hope their spirits are happy being part of this art and not just discarded as trash.

A selection of these collages is available at 464 Gallery on Amherst Street in Buffalo. Don’t miss the opening of “GIFTED” this Friday, December 6 from 6-11 PM. Owner, Marcus Wise, is putting together Buffalo’s most exciting holiday art market.