HIDDEN TREASURES: Four nearby attractions worthy of your consideration
By Kevin Purdy/purdyk@gnnewspaper.com
Working at a regional arts and entertainment publication — such as the one you’re holding in your hands or viewing in your browser — can make you feel like you have to whittle down a wedding invitation list every single week.
That’s because no matter what anybody says in a whine-soaked voice, there is a lot going on around Western New York every single week. Trying to pick out a few every week to write about and feature leaves one with a sense of guilt that accumulates each week. Night and Day tries hard to rotate the focus and offer new faces, but some great institutions around the region hardly ever get their due.
Consider this week, then, our attempt to spotlight a few of the institutions that don’t get regular coverage in Night and Day, partly due to their location outside the immediate Niagara area.
And if you know of another not-quite-hidden treasure that regularly offers something great to do, e-mail me at the address at the bottom of the story, because while one list gets put together every week, the guilty list should have a little more space after today.
Western New York Artists Group
• Where: Art Dialogue Gallery at 1 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo (between North Street and Delaware Avenue)
• Why: Serving as an alternative display space from the traditional big galleries, the WNYAG has been working with Erie and Niagara county artists and national names to create one-of-a-kind displays. Their upcoming “Third Annual National Small Works Exhibition” will be juried by Castellani Art Museum Curator Michael Beam.
• Cost: Free.
• WHEN: Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
• MORE INFORMATION: Call 885-2251 or visit www.wnyag.com.
American Repertory Theater
• Where: Venues across the Buffalo area
• Why: First off, the non-profit company is brand new and looking to build its audience. Secondly, it’s offering truly unique works, such as the recent “Superhero Blues” at the Town Ballroom, offering a look at the kind of discussions comic book characters have when they’re off-duty and half-sauced. Third, the company is committed to cultivating local talent, so you never know who you might know in the cast.
• WHEN: Next performance series is “Axeman’s Jazz” in January.
• Cost: Varies by the show.
• MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.artofwny.org.
Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall
• Where: 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo
• Why: Buffalo State College has long been quietly attracting quality acts that might not be the entire city’s cup of tea, but serve as a great place to learn a thing or two.
• WHEN: This week alone, they invite Spanish guitar virtuoso and QVC mainstay Esteban at 8 p.m. Friday, and The Great Day Tour, thirteen of the world’s best klezmer musicians, will gather at 8 p.m. Saturday for an evening of music and cultural history.
• Cost: $30 general admission for Esteban, $15 for The Great Day Tour, senior and student discounts available on both. Tickets available at www.ticketguys.com/buffalostate or at the box office (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1300 Elmwood Ave.)
• MORE INFORMATION: Call 878-3032 or visit www.buffalostate.com/pac
Corning Museum of Glass
• Where: 1 Museum Way, Corning
• Why: Unlike some craft museums, this one is backed by serious corporate money -- corning, if you didn’t know, is the leader in both fiber optic cable making and liquid crystal for LCD screens. And the exhibits show serious thought and gathering work: “Curiosities of Glassmaking” contains ancient evil-stopping amulets, trick bottles and drinking glasses, glass models of human body parts and other strange uses of the clear stuff from a number of eras. The permanent collection is not too shabby either.
• WHEN: Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• Cost: Children 17 and under admitted free, adult tickets are $11.25-$12.50
• MORE INFORMATION: Call 1-800-732-6845 or visit www.cmog.org.
UB Anderson Gallery
• Where: 1 Martha Jackson Place (adjacent to the intersection of Kenmore Avenue and Englewood Avenue, near University at Buffalo South Campus).
Why: The North Campus Center for the Arts hosts a lot of the big performers and cultural happenings, but the Anderson Gallery, tucked away in North Buffalo, has real art to share. The site is currently hosting three artists from across the region as part of “Beyond/In Western New York 2007,” which runs through Nov. 11
• WHEN: Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
• Cost: Free
• MORE INFORMATION: Call 829-3754 or visit http://ubartgalleries.buffalo.edu
Contact reporter Kevin Purdy at 693-1000, ext. 107, or purdyk@gnnewspaper.com.
