The term “Kafkaesque” is thrown around often, but Niagara University will have a literal reason to use the word this fall. Canadian artist Max Streicher’s “Metamorphosis,” an exhibit based on the most notable work of seminal writer Franz Kafka, will open Friday at the university’s Castellani Art Museum. Streicher, who works with inflatables, created a large and literal interpretation of the story that finds a man turn into a bug. The main showpiece of the installation finds inspiration from that physical transformation.....more>>
You don’t go far without thinking about food. There’s Wegmans, Emeril on television, backyard tomatoes, a good glass of wine, McDonalds. Baby food, Snickers and fried zucchini. The perfectly-set dinner table and the compost heap. By definition, it’s a universal topic. Enter the artists whose work appears in “Feasting Eyes: Artists Take on Food,” an exhibit beginning today at the Kenan Center in Lockport.
Some people see music when they hear it. Mark Weld takes that connection one step farther in his show, “Mingus Called,” opening Saturday at Lockport’s Market Street Art Center. The idea behind the month-long show is a series of paintings based on Joni Mitchell’s 1979 album, “Mingus.” Weld says he was inspired by the album, but he’s not quite sure why.
At first, nothing seemed out of place when Michael Bakwin returned to his home in the Berkshires after he and his family went away for Memorial Day weekend in 1978. But the next day, Bakwin’s wife walked into the dining room and saw that seven paintings had been stripped from the walls, including a still life by the French impressionist Paul Cezanne now worth tens of millions of dollars. The theft set off an international investigation that led to Monaco, Geneva, London and — finally — to a retired lawyer.
This weekend’s prestigious Lewiston Art Festival has several advantages over most clog-the-sidewalks art shows presented in late summer by small towns across America. The village’s reputation as a thriving arts community, its dedication to historic preservation and the standards of the art itself combine to make this event special. Now in its 42nd edition, this friendly exposure to art and entertainment is, for many, a highlight of the year.
Infringement is a term that means one has trespassed on someone else’s right or privilege. So how can it be used to describe a festival? “(Infringement) came from a few disgruntled men from the fringe festival in Montreal. So they wanted to call it an infringe festival,” said Scott Andrew Kurchak, co-founder of the Buffalo Infringement Festival, which starts today.
Every art gallery should have an opportunity to present its work the way the Castellani Art Museum is about to present some of its own. For the project “Currents: Movements in Western Art Since 1830,” opening this weekend, the biggest room in the building will have its walls covered salon-style (meaning paintings clustered together for easy comparison) with work from its permanent collection, and organized so that modern art’s major movements can be identified and compared.
A four-year bioterrorism investigation would hurt the career of most people. For Buffalo artist and University at Buffalo professor Steven Kurtz, such a probe was an inspiration.
This weekend is that special time in June where Allentown closes its streets and opens its arms to thousands of people, and Father’s Day might just have to take a back seat to the Allentown Art Festival, the area’s most prominent art festival.
This evening’s sampling of wines and desserts at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Chateau des Charmes Winery is more than any old festivity kicking off or concluding another art project. The second annual “Art of Architecture” Gala will present the winners of the Binational Tourism Alliance’s photography contest and will open the door, so to speak, to this year’s cross-border Doors Open Niagara 2008 and Niagara by Design events.
