The Art Dialogue Gallery, shyly tucked into the corner of 1 Linwood Ave., provides modest walls that don artwork from the cracks and crevices of Buffalo.
And since the 2005 Regional Artists Exhibition opened there on Aug. 19, Buffalo's artists have been surrendering their work to the sympathetic scrutiny of the juror Eric Jackson-Forsberg.
At the reception, the juror chooses the top three places, which are awarded cash, and two artists receive honorable mention certificates. This year, Bill Golba received first place for his oil on paper collage titled "Dog Fight."
Golba creates geometric confusion; eyes get tangled while trying to discern which forms are on top and which are underneath. Despite the fragmentation, every color and shape seems to snuggle into its right place, and before you know it, everything is as it should be.
A colorful plethora of infrastructure labeled "Tour Eiffel" received honorable mention. Artist Bruce T. Barber creates a mesmerizing maze of shoots and ladders resembling the Eiffel Tower, even the bouts of vertigo experienced from atop the Eiffel Tower.
"KKK," a photograph taken by Richard Stamps, recently received the Nova Photo Award for its candid sorcery. Leftover construction paper sheathed in white plastic mimics a sinister soiree between three figures with pointed heads.
Ray Dell Amico also attempts to personify plastic in the photograph he calls "Esmerelda," where a white plastic bag takes on the appearance of an enchanted creature tangled in the unforgiving arms of a tree. Garbage becomes so charming that the viewer almost forgets the detrimental effects of littering.
Sherwin Greenberg slowed down the shutter speed in order to capture a gaudy frenzy of people inside Sainte Chapelle. The still beauty of the chapel perseveres despite frantic tourism, making the object appear more thoughtful than the whir of humanity.
Michael Tunney's "The Sacred and the Profane," features figures, objects and scenes emerging from cryptic pencil dashes to Patti Harris' "Engine #9." A box cluttered with gears, pulleys and a wooden train emerges from the wall.
This gallery captures locality in almost every medium. Even Jackson-Forsberg is shocked by the diversity.
"Jurying a group exhibition of diverse work in a variety of media brings to mind a time-honored aphorism: it's like comparing apples and oranges," said Jackson-Forsberg in his juror's statement. "For that matter, throw in a few bananas, grapes, mangoes and perhaps a herring or two."
And don't be surprised if you see something familiar like Linda Toomey's "Delaware Park Lake I," or Sherwin Greenberg's "Grain Elevators, Buffalo." To the local viewer, it's a piece of home being communicated in a new and thrilling way.
In his juror's statement, Jackson-Forsberg expressed his discomfort with his role.
"I may never be entirely comfortable with the...role of being an exhibition juror, but this may actually be beneficial in the long run," he said. "Such discomfort precipitates a certain rigor of selection and, I believe, a degree of fairness, of internal checks and balances."
Much like Jackson-Forsberg, every viewer is invited to experience the buzz of fresh, unadulterated art. Each piece is lobbying for your intimate attention, and unlike the artwork found in a museum, there are no implications of presupposed self-importance. The Art Dialogue Gallery uniquely bases their exhibitions on "sharing" rather than "showing."
The director of the Western New York Artists Group, Donald Siuta, described the gallery's mission statement briefly, saying it is "to serve regional artists."
Its annual itinerary consists of at least 4 exhibitions, which allow emerging artists to intermingle with established artists. The coupling of old, reputable art and new art is not intended as any sort of comical "blind date" concoction. Instead, it generates a fairer understanding of the "worth" of art, where the idea and the form are acknowledged as a vocation as opposed to unharnessed clout.
The unabbreviated mission statement, available on the Western New York Artists Group Web site, better describes the aforementioned communion of art.
"Art stimulates the mind, Art stimulates the senses, Art transcends generations and cultures, Art is for everyone ..."
Siuta said he wants emphasizes that the Art Dialogue Gallery is one of a few organizations that gives beginning artists a chance to exhibit.
"What makes us different is that we also exhibit the work of very prominent regional artists," Siuta said.
Such crucial combinations effectively communicate the growth and change of art within Buffalo.
Up until this year the gallery has exhibited only regional art, but Oct. 28 marks the opening reception of the first national exhibition. This event is open to public eyes and will be on view through Nov. 25.
Although modest in appearance, the Art Dialogue Gallery is profoundly communicative. Its only intention is to invite and inspire conversation. Come hear what Buffalo has to say Tuesdays to Fridays 11a.m. to 5p.m. and Saturdays 11a.m. to 3p.m.
Email: spectrumartsdesk@hotmail.com
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
