Small City, Big Talent

    Saturday, Delaware Park was changed from one of the state's best parks to one of Buffalo's largest art exhibitions.

    Thousands of culture-awed attendees assembled at the ninth annual Music is Art Festival to partake in some of the best artistic talent Western New York has to offer. The festival featured about 50 artists, dozens of dance groups, DJs, and several bands that had the chance to display their talent in a festival of artistic display and awareness.

    Goo Goo Dolls member Robby Takac founded the Music Is Art festival. He wanted to create the event to help reveal other local Buffalo talents.

     "I think it's important to show people what goes on in the city, to expose people to [art]," Takac said.

    Hoyt Lake provided the backdrop for local vendors to display their wares. With pieces ranging from masks to photographs, there was a diverse range of indie and abstract artists represented. The circus theme works of Jason D'Aquino speaks to the uniqueness of the piece.

    "I'm very undisciplined when it comes to my subject matter. I like to do whatever strikes

    Hip-hop group Old Dub brought contagious beats and expressive lyrics to the stage, with the power to have the majority of the crowd swinging their arms and dancing with them, while local rock outfit, Free Henry!, elicited cheers from listeners.

    Although each of the many bands only had 15 minute set times, they had enough time to rope concertgoers in with their talent and leave them wanting more.

    Supporting the country scene was the Andrew J. Reimers Country-Punk Extravaganza, whose upbeat and instrumentally strong sounds furnished a backdrop for their song "Small World, Smaller City." The song reflects Buffalo, and shows that even though the Queen City is small, it harbors enough passion, talent, and artistry to contest with larger, better known cities.

    Along with the music, many dancers had a chance to perform, among them the belly dancers from Ilya's Bellydance studio, who lit up the stage and were accompanied by the sounds of exotic auxiliary percussion to keep the dancing upbeat.

    Many fashion students created sculptures and art installations that reflected the "Dress to Express" theme. Laura Piccirillo, a fashion student at Buffalo State College and Angela Yang, erected a spaceship-themed sculpture embellished with purple velvet, plastic, powdered sugar, and paint symbolizing "alien language." Their work was illuminated under the stars as a final showcase of art before the festival came to an end.

    "It's a real city vibe experience," said Lesley Mucha, 60, of Lockport. "If you live in a city you think is cooler, this steps up Buffalo."

    While the festival might be over till next year, the impression the festival left on the attendees will be a lasting one.

Email: arts@ubspectrum.com