As hundreds of onlookers stood in the beautifully renovated Hallwalls building for its grand opening Saturday night, it was a comfort to know that this architectural relic was saved from becoming a parking lot, salvaged by one of Buffalo's few but foremost celebrities.
Renowned singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco reportedly invested $2.7 million of her own money in a $10 million project towards renovating the 1871 Asbury Delaware Methodist Church on the corner of Delaware and Tupper Streets that was originally supposed to be torn down.
The old church will now be used by DiFranco's record label Righteous Babe Records and will also be a multi-faceted haven for the Buffalo arts community.
Billboards have been advertising the slogan for Hallwalls: "Artsy yes. Fartsy no." And that's just how it was Saturday night.
Last Saturday, Canadian photographer Suzy Lake exhibited her work as the main attraction for the building's grand opening. It seemed like half of Buffalo squeezed in shoulder-to-shoulder, chomping down on finger foods and gulping Labbatt's Blue while ogling the interior of the wonderful new edificial ornament. The church-turned-arts-supercenter adds to our already solid arts culture and complements the city's architectural heritage.
"I love the space, love the moving walls, and love the excitement for downtown Buffalo," said Buffalo resident Hal Leader.
The most intriguing feature on the ground floor of the building is the movable walls. Two walls can be pushed along railings that extend beneath the ceiling, with a third wall situated on a pivot. Thus, different artists now have the ability to change the shape and size of the room at their pleasure.
"It's great that they could change it to whatever they want it to be. The lighting is great too," said Joseph Lonzi, also of Buffalo.
Suzy Lake's photographs received similar acclaim. Her work was self-reflexive, with satirical commentary on how we as a society perceive middle age.
Lake incorporates herself as the main subject in most of the photographs-an artistic device, which makes her message all the more personal and evocative. In "Forever Young," a life-size photograph, Lake is clad in leopard skin pants and a low-cut tank top with a microphone in hand, posing like Cher in concert.
The picture is half-mocking and half-pathetic. Much of her photographs poke fun at middle age, while loathing it at the same time. In "Pluck #1" only Lake's lower face is in the picture. While she plucks disgustingly long hairs from her chin, there's still a subtle smile with her dark red lipstick to let you know that she's laughing with you.
"It's very introspective. It's her dealing with getting older," said Tera Barnum. "In society, women are supposed to be beautiful. But she's celebrating getting older. I think it's great."
In addition to the gallery, the basement holds a moderately sized theater that could seat around 80 people, which will be used for screenings and readings. Upstairs is a magnificent 1,200-person capacity concert hall where parishioners who once listened to preachers delivering sermons can now be replaced with concertgoers who will enjoy some of the music that Buffalo and visiting musicians have to offer.
Because of DiFranco's donation to the Buffalo art scene, what was once a decrepit eyesore is now a multi-faceted facility that is sure to enhance Buffalo's arts industry.
"To think, this could have been a parking lot. It's just too bad that they renovated because we could have had another," said Andrea Span, sarcastically.
Suzy Lake's photography will be featured at Hallwalls through Feb. 18 and this Friday at 8 p.m. the Arthur Doyle Electro-Acoustic Ensemble will be playing in the performance hall. For more information, you can visit the Hallwalls website at www.hallwalls.org.
Hallwalls is open every Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m.
