For my last column, I want to look optimistically at Buffalo through the lens of its vibrant artistic culture. One of Buffalo's greatest resources is the abundance of buildings that sit unused - beautiful pieces of architecture that point to its important place in history.
Buffalo is taking steps in the right direction for the artistic community to benefit from the reclamation of its unused industrial spaces.
Ironically, one of the things critics point to as holding Buffalo back could potentially become its greatest asset. The old, unused industrial spaces, which dominate portions of the city largely sit unused, as the years erode them into shadows of their former selves.
There have been a variety of projects, some completed, and ones to look forward to in the future, that are going to raise the artistic bar in Buffalo even higher than it is now.
A former industrial space on Main Street will be converted into offices and work spaces for artists by the nonprofit group Artspace Projects.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded Buffalo with millions of dollars, and according to the December 27, 2005 issue of Business First of Buffalo, "A $1 million allocation...will help finance the construction of the Artspace project along Main Street. The Minneapolis-based Artspace is converting the former Breitner Printing building into a live-and-work artists loft project."
Bringing artists to live and work in Buffalo will have a fantastic impact on the city and the state of the arts here. With artists starting to make a presence in the city of Buffalo, one can only imagine an increasing trend of people moving downtown, and coming up with new ways to live and work in a flourishing urban environment.
With the recent flurry of projects designed to improve the quality of arts in Buffalo, one of them hits home here for UB students. The art department holds its senior thesis exhibition in the Buffalo Central Terminal, a majestic space formally used as the rail hub in Buffalo. It is now used to present the artistic output of UB seniors, bringing life and a new hope back into this magnificent piece of architectural history.
Nationally renowned artist Spencer Tunick saw the potential that the Central Terminal held when he traveled to Buffalo. He photographed hundreds of people lying nude in the Terminal in 2004.
Tunick's work points to the vitality of the human spirit, and that was made absolutely clear when I witnessed the work on display at the Albright-Knox last year. It showcases the resolve of Buffalo's residents, who can triumph over any adversity.
It was a powerful visualization of what the artistic community can accomplish with its collective imagination and resources at their disposal. If we band together, no task is insurmountable, and our goal of bringing life and the arts into these spaces can be realized.
One of Buffalo's great successes in reclaiming former industrial space is the Tri-Main Center. Located on Main Street, the Tri-Main Center used to be a Ford Automotive plant, and now houses Buffalo Arts Studio, and the offices for a plethora of arts organizations. It is an indictor that this process of re-envisioning new uses for old spaces can work, and it makes a contribution to the community that cannot be ignored.
Buffalo is showing all of us that it is not held down by its industrial past. Buffalo is finding new uses from the remnants of its past and looking forward to a new future. There is a veritable treasure trove of old spaces that can be salvaged to enhance its position in the arts community, raising its already respected status to heights we could never have been able to achieve without them.
