REMEMBERING THE ORPHANS OF DODGE STREET

On Dodge Street in Buffalo, sat the decaying remains of the German Roman Catholic Orphanage. Founded in 1874 by the sisters of St. Francis, the orphanage first housed 47 children.  During the 82 years of its existence, it survived fire, grew into a large complex of dormitories and classrooms and cared for more than 15,000 children.  When I first came upon it, the orphanage had been closed for 56 years. Although in deplorable shape, the architecture of the buildings was still impressive. And inside the chapel stood an organ, too heavy to move when the place was shuttered.

But over the pass few years, this particular ruin has been saved. Thanks to major grants to the Community Action Organization of Erie County, it has been rehabilitated into ‘St. Martin Village’, providing 60 units of affordable housing for low-income families.  A mix of renovation and new construction honors the history of the children who passed through these walls while giving a chance for new life.

In this ‘discarded ancestor’ collage, I’ve combined a found photograph of a young boy with my photo of the chapel plus the graffiti and debris in the area. It’s my attempt to capture a layer of time.

‘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.

‘OUT OF THE RUSTBELT’ at the LARKIN AT EXCHANGE

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.

ART & ARCHITECTURE AT THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT FONTANA BOATHOUSE

Last night was stormy on the waterfront, with winds so strong they could blow you right off the balcony of the Boathouse. But inside this stunning space, everyone was warm and enjoying the Second Annual Art Show. This juried show is a collaboration of the Boathouse leadership and the Buffalo Society of Artists and it offers a chance to bid on and purchase work for the benefit of  Wright's Fontana Boathouse.  I was honored to receive the second place award for “Best Friends,” (one of my 'Discarded Ancestors' collages).

You can still see the exhibit and bid, up until 4:00 pm Sunday, October 27. It is also your chance to tour the space and appreciate the vision of Frank Lloyd Wright.

HOPE LIKE BLUE SKIES

Can an assemblage and a short story come together in a journal?

Yes, they did in the October issue of the r.kv.r.y quarterly literary journal. My piece, “We Repair Trucks” was used to illustrate a powerful story by Erica Jamieson. Now the assemblage is on its way out to Los Angeles to be part of her collection.  This seems so fitting since the piece is about leaving the rustbelt for bluer skies.

To read some of Jamieson’s work, visit her website http://www.ericawjamieson.com

SHIPWRECKED

I am honored to be the illustrator for the October ‘Shipwrecked’ edition of the r.k.v.r.y quarterly literary journal. r.k.v.r.y defines itself by the dictionary definition of the word recovery. It is filled with intriguing poetry, fiction and essays by a wide range of talented authors. You can visit it online at http://www.rkvryquarterly.com/   and be inspired!

WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND

People ask me how I manage to find toys in abandoned factories. Actually, I am often amazed by all that’s been left behind or thrown away in these most unlikely places. The toys are just the easiest artifacts to carry out. My assemblage, “Shrek” is based on the Sol Lenzer Bottling Works at Jefferson and Genesee Avenues. Since the roof collapsed, nature has started to reclaim the space. Inside, along with little knicknacks, I found a piano and a truck. They are probably still there, too heavy and dangerous to move. On the outside of Lenzer’s is graffiti by the prolific ‘ATAK’. His tag shows up on the side of my assemblage too. Lenzer’s is on the mayor’s top ten list for demolition but manages to hang on.

“Shrek” will be on view at the Buffalo Society of Artists’ 117^th Catalogue Exhibition. The opening is Sunday, September 15^th, from 2 - 5pm at the Kenan Center at 433 Locust Street in Lockport, NY and the show continues through October 13^th.