Free Fridays at the Albright-Knox are the rage these days with Buffalo's art lovers, and those new to the art scene. With attendance up, and a community more linked to one of its greatest treasures than it's ever been, the Albright-Knox's Gusto at the Gallery program shows limitless potential.
It has been a little over a year since the start of Gusto at the Gallery. Louis Grachos, director of the Albright-Knox, introduced the program in order to forge connections with the community. His progressive view of the museum space as one that allows its patrons to interact with the art has been welcomed enthusiastically by Buffalonians young and old.
"The director, Louis Grachos, has new ideas of museums. He feels they should be alive, full of people, and should not consist of people coming once a year to the gallery," said Sarah Ruszczyk, the education department assistant at the Albright-Knox. "They should be coming all the time, surprised, and ready to expect the unexpected."
The program has seen enormous success since its introduction, according to Ruszczyk.
"We get as many people on Gusto night as during the rest of the week combined," she said.
The event was originally called 52 Fridays. The name Gusto came from the Buffalo News Friday section. The Buffalo News is the Albright-Knox's print media sponsor.
The free Fridays are a hit with student visitors as well.
"I always try to find time to come on Fridays, and I always see a lot of people," said Zak Kaveney, a Medaille College student.
"(The) timeframe for most people is perfect," Kaveney said, noting that the after-work crowd was a key factor in attracting people.
A peculiar practice that is starting to appear in the gallery on Friday nights is the large draw of younger people to the gallery looking for an inexpensive date.
"It has become a date night with people of high school and college age who are just starting to date," Ruszczyk said.
"People who aren't there otherwise discovering all the entertainment it has to offer, and often finding things to come back for," said Penny Connours, a docent at the Albright-Knox.
Mukti Kuhn, the assistant curator of education at the Albright-Knox, said that the goal of Gusto is twofold.
"(It's) a form of community outreach for the museum to allow a whole new group of people to see the museum for free," he said. "We get the community involved in different aspects as viewers and performers."
The openness of museum space is important for people of all ages.
"Buffalo is such a family town," said Elizabeth Haremza, manager of UB Art Gallery. "I like that it provides greater access to the museum with family activities, normally rare in the arts."
The Albright-Knox has created community collaborations with local groups such as the Just Buffalo Literary Center. Gusto brings in local talent in the form of poets, musicians and performing artists.
One of the larger events the Albright-Knox hosted was the "Nickel City Poetry Slam" in July. Ten nationally renowned poets participated in a competition, which showcased their lyrical talents in front of a panel of judges.
Gusto brings in a variety of interesting local musical acts, such as Babik, a Gypsy swing quartet, which offers a unique blend of jazz and Latin rhythm.
Gusto is currently funded until next September, with many more events to look forward to in the future, detailed on the Albright-Knox website.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
