Hand made wool sweaters and ponchos, wooden crafts, woven belts and jewelry hanging from the ceiling and on the walls of El Buen Amigo at 114 Elmwood Ave are an every day occurrence.
What makes this month different, however, is that Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, and El Buen Amigo opens its doors to local Latin artists.
"We opened this gallery up in 1993 with only five artists," said Santiago Masferrer, the proprietor and head of El Buen Amigo, and a native from Chile.
The popularity of El Buen Amigo, Spanish for "The Good Friend," has since opened doors to almost 400 artists, according to Masferrer.
"It's been like a labyrinth ever since. All types of artists from all walks of life present here," Masferrer said.
El Buen Amigo has served as not only a gateway for people from Buffalo to gain knowledge about Latin culture, but as a lifeline to Latinos both here and in Latin America.
All of the items for sale at El Buen Amigo come directly from towns in countries such as El Salvador, Peru, and Mexico, where these types of crafts are an exclusive export.
The people in these towns devote their lives to handcrafting these ornaments, jewelry, clothing and cloths and it is their only means of income, according to Masferrer
Featured for Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month are nine artists, being shown at various times.
Local Puerto Rican artist, Jen Leone, had three pieces of work showing at the gallery titled, "What Did You Say? 1," "What Did You Say? 2," and "What Did You Say? 3."
Each piece of art was a portrait of a woman showing three very distinct emotions, giving the impression the portraits were reactions all asking the same question, but progressing from one emotion to the next: surprise, sadness and anger.
Emotion was also an overwhelming theme for artist Nicowski. All of Nicowski's pieces were extremely dark but had no problems portraying the struggle of the modern day Latino.
One piece in particular, "Civilized," illustrated a creature, presumably a man turned animal, in a cage with a gun between his legs. The creature also had a feather in its head, similar to an Aztec headdress, wearing a striped necktie on and had a bowl of money in its cage. The piece exemplified the cultural clash Latinos endure in America, no matter what generation.
"I can totally understand the feeling of being torn between two cultures. [We Latinos are] raised to be proud of our roots but then get told to suppress them when the time is ‘right,'" said Liz Astudillo, a 22-year-old international business student from Buffalo State College.
The one artist with the most pieces hanging in El Buen Amigo's gallery was Argentinean artist La Gata, whose name is Spanish for the female cat. La Gata's pieces were mainly portraits of both national and international popular figures. Pictures of Che Guevara, Mother Theresa, President Barack Obama, Willie Nelson and Pope Benedict XVI adorned the walls of El Buen Amigo.
Other notable works on display included still life pieces by Amos de Barros and graffiti art by Tito Graffe.
The art gallery for Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month at El Buen Amigo will be open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Oct. 30. El Buen Amigo features new artists every month under a different theme.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
