Loving local art with loved ones

By: Mikayla Boyd, Editor-in-Chief

This week, some fellow staff members of The Griffin and I explored some spaces around Buffalo to spread the love of local artists and art institutions. Assistant Sports Editor Peter Neville and I started our art-filled Friday at the K Art Gallery at 808 Main St, Buffalo, NY. The exhibit featured was “Kindred: Works from the Burchfield Penney Art Center and Seneca-Iroquois National Museum Collection.” According to the Burchfield-Penney, “[t]his collaborative exhibition marks the debut of Burchfield Penney Off Center at K Art, the first site of the museum’s new Off Center initiative.” 

“Kindred” at K Art Gallery featured an underrepresented population in art: Native American artists. Admission was free, and the gallery was small, but as with Hallwalls from last week, it made for a more intimate connection with the pieces. Each piece was especially curated to show pain, appreciate culture and amplify community – all important aspects of the conversation surrounding Native Americans.

K Art Gallery via Mikayla Boyd

A piece that really stood out to me was “My Ancestors are Strong” by Marjorie Skidders (of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation Territory, Bear Clan). This was simply a photograph of a Native American baby on a cradleboard adorned with leather and corn husks, but the lighting made the baby stand out against the dark background. I saw this as a reminder that Native American culture is still alive and that, despite the dark past and painful history of indigenous people, their legacy carries on through generations. Another artist featured was Ken Williams Jr. (Northern Arapaaho/Seneca). His two pieces at the gallery, “She’s All That” and “Anna,” are beadwork pieces created with materials like beads, smoked leather and shells, to name a few. I thought that the bright colors of pink and teal juxtaposed the women that they portrayed well. 

When looking at the space as a whole, it was curated well. On a snowy and cold day outside, the warm lights and small space made me feel warm and part of a family or community. Overall, K Art was a lovely, intimate and niche curated gallery. I loved being able to focus on a very specific population of artists and see how the works could be similar or entirely different.

Next, Peter and I picked up Copy Editor Kaitlin O’Meara and Managing Editor Hannah Wiley to head to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum for First Friday! First Friday is an initiative at the AKG where admission on the first Friday of every month is pay-what-you-wish. Normally, I would just go with $1 (I adhere to the broke-college-student norm), but we wanted to add on admission for a special exhibit, “One with Eternity: Yayoi Kusama.” Therefore, we paid the special First Friday price of $6 for college students as opposed to the regular $26, a great deal if I do say so myself. I had been to the AKG since its remodel, as had Kaitlin, but Peter hadn’t – and Hannah had never been at all – so it was fun being familiar with some works and playing tour guide! 

Buffalo AKG Art Museum via Mikayla Boyd

The special exhibit was very fun and interactive, with different rooms consisting of a huge orange and black polka-dotted pumpkin, a room of mirrors and a box full of lit-up lanterns in the dark. As we strolled through the different galleries, we found the favorite work of Peter’s mom (who teaches art), shared laughs and observations about the pieces and even got to make some art of our own with drop-in artmaking right in the galleries (Kaitlin and I used Hannah as our muse and drew her). Sure, art was the reason we came, but the company was what made the visit. Exploring both of these spaces together was about more than just seeing art; it was about spending time with loved ones. I hope that this Valentine’s Day, you are able to incorporate exploration and appreciation of local art or spaces into spending time with your friends, family or significant others!