Hallwalls - Film Screening

Friday, December 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Gary Hustvit

GLOBAL URBAN IMAGINARIES: Urbanized

Hallwalls

Free

GLOBAL URBAN IMAGINARIES is  a screening series organized for the Urban Image Research Workshop by Asst. Prof. Miriam Paeslack, PhD candidate Carl Lee of the Department of Media Study, and Carolyn Tennant.

From the maker of Helvetica comes Urbanized (2011, 85 min), Gary Hustvit's most recent feature documentary about the design of cities, featuring some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.

 

Hallwalls - Steve Kurtz Lecture

A Project for Documenta 13: Steve Kurtz & Critical Art Ensemble

$5 general, $4 Hallwalls members, UB Students FREE

A Buffalo-based artist whose work is staged and celebrated around the world, Steve Kurtz, Chair of Visual Studies at the University at Buffalo, will address his four major projects of this year.

Kurtz is a founding member of Critical Art Ensemble, one of the most significant art collectives today, which explores the intersection of art, technology, and political activism.

Unusually, the group completed two projects for the festival: “A Temporary Monument to Global Economic Inequality” (pictured below) and “Winning Hearts and Minds.” In addition, their contestational ecology project “New Alliances” was featured at Parco Arte Vivente in Turin, Italy. 

A large illustrated text of major Critical Art Ensemble projects entitled “Disturbances” was published this year. It will be available for purchase and signing following the talk.

Hallwalls - Sabine Gruffat, I Have Always Been a Dreamer

Sabine Gruffat

I Have Always Been a Dreamer

$8 general, $6 students/seniors, $5 members

(2012, 16mm/HD, 78min)

Globalized Urban Imaginaries
A screening series organized for the Urban Image Research Workshop by Carl Lee, Miriam Paeslack and Carolyn Tennant; co-produced by Hallwalls and the UB Humanities Institute. All screenings will take place at Hallwalls and are suggested donation, unless noted.

A documentary travelogue and portrait of two cities in contrasting states of development: Dubai, UAE and Detroit, U.S.A. Sabine Gruffat is an artist living and working in North Carolina, experimenting with the technologies and conventions inherent in media.

 

Hallwalls - C. Carr on David Wojnarowicz

Cynthia Carr

Reading, Book Signing, & Presentation

on the Work of David Wojnarowicz

$5 general, $4 Hallwalls members, UB Students FREE

Author of Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz
(Bloomsbury, 2012)

 

Cynthia Carr, under the by-line C. Carr, was for many years a senior critic and columnist for The Village Voice, specializing in performance art and experimental theater. Carr last visited Hallwalls on November 6th, 1988 (24 years ago this month) as a featured presenter in the first biannual Ways In Being Gay festival, and delivered a talk entitled GREAT MOMENTS IN SPECTATING: QUEER THEATER, RONALD REAGAN, & THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. Tonight Carr will read from her critically-acclaimed 2012 biography Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz (Bloomsbury), and give a presentation on the artist's work based on her research. (Wojnarowicz himself performed at Hallwalls with musician Ben Neill in the second Ways In Being Gay festival in 1990, in a performance entitled ITSOFOMO—In the Shadow of Forward Motion.) Talking Leaves…Books will provide books for purchase and signing following the author's presentation.


An excerpt from Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz, the new book by Cynthia Carr (Bloomsbury, 2012). This reading took place at Hallwalls November 2, 1983.


Writers Gary Indiana & David Wojnarowicz at Hallwalls, November 2, 1983

WNYBAC Exhibition Opening

A Buffalo Alphabet: A-Z

On View November 2nd – December 1st
Opening Reception on November 2nd from 6-9pm

The Western New York Book Arts Center is pleased to announce the opening of its latest exhibition, A Buffalo Alphabet: A-Z by Dana Jenkins. The opening reception will take place at The Western New York Book Arts Center gallery, 468 Washington Street in downtown Buffalo on Friday, November 2nd from 6-9pm.

A Buffalo Alphabet: A-Z is a beautiful, alphabetized watercolor series celebrating countless aspects of the Queen City; from realistic representations of Buffalo landmarks, to the exploration of profound concepts such as diversity, steadfastness, and heritage. According to Jenkins, “this series is about a straightforward place that has a history worth exploring.”

Jenkins worked with WNYBAC Studio Director, Chris Fritton, to letterpress print the letters “A” through “Z” onto the series of 26 watercolor paintings. The font featured in this series is Winchell, a lead typeface originally designed in Buffalo in 1893, later digitized by WNYBAC founder Richard Kegler, and re-created in wood type by Chris Fritton.

WNYBAC LOCATION AND HOURS

468 Washington Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 348-1430
info@wnybookarts.org

ArtsCanisius Lectures

Thursday, October 18
2:30 pm
Regis North

Art Conservation and the Paintings Conservation Treatment of Paolo Veronese's Annunciation.
by Eileen Sullivan, Art Conservator

This lecture will cover what conservation is (and isn't) and give a brief history of the field while going through the steps of the Veronese Annunciation treatment as a start-to-finish project.


Monday, October 29
12:00 pm
Regis

Breaking Cliché - Travel Photography that is Unique
by Tom Wolf, Photographer and Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts, Canisius College

In a world of social media, there are thousands of vacation images that are repeated over and over and thus have become cliché. This lecture will focus on creating images of your travel experiences that are both aesthetically pleasing and uniquely personal. From developing a concept that is rooted in one's life experience to the interpretation of place using both in-camera and post capture techniques, the audience will be guided through the process of making photographs that stand out from the rest.

Canisius College: Art for Lunch

IEMA FALL LECTURE SERIES 2012

IEMA FALL LECTURE SERIES 2012

Dr. William J. Meyer, Jr.
IEMA Postdoctoral Fellow 2012-13
Home of the Living, Land of the Dead: Dwelling with the Bronze and Iron Age Tombs of Southern Burgundy
Thursday, October 11, 2012
12-1 pm MFAC 354 (Location: http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/building?id=fillmore)

Abstract:

The late Bronze and early Iron Age inhabitants of temperate Europe buried their dead in tumuli, many of which remain on the landscape long after their builders disappeared. In the Arroux and Somme River valleys of southern Burgundy (east-central France), more than 160 tumuli have been recorded since the mid-19th century. In this talk (adapted from my PhD dissertation of the same name), I explore “landscape syncretism”: the on-going process by which people make sense of inherited landscape elements. I focus on how the tumuli of the Arroux and Somme valleys (and others like them) were connected into a landscape by their initial architects and then re-connected into or disconnected from subsequent landscapes by later groups. Along the way, I examine folklore from the early Modern period, discuss the history of tumulus archaeology, and talk about contemporary interactions with mounds (including challenges to their preservation). This work underscores the importance of expanding the kinds of data and method considered properly “archaeological,” and highlights the possibility that different landscapes might co-exist within the same space at any given time. As many of us have observed during the course of our archaeological practice, this co-existence can generate conflict. Recognizing this, the responsibility of the landscape archaeologist or historical ecologist to translate the past to the present becomes coupled with a similar responsibility: to translate among these different landscapes and the people who dwell “with-in” them. 

AIA Lecture (co-sponsored by IEMA)
Dr. John Pollini
University of Southern California
Christian Destruction and Desecration of Images of Classical Antiquity
Monday, October 22, 2012
6.30-7.30 The Buffalo Museum of Science

Abstract: In popular culture Christianity is remembered for the art, architecture, customs, rituals, and myths that it preserved from the classical past.  It is rarely acknowledged, however, that Christianity also destroyed a great deal in its conversion of the Roman Empire.  The material evidence for Christian destruction has often been overlooked or gone unrecognized even by archaeologists. This lecture examines various forms of Christian destruction and desecration of images of classical antiquity during the fourth to seventh centuries, as well as some of the attendant problems in detecting and making sense of this phenomenon.  (This lecture is based on Professor Pollini’s present book project, “Christian Destruction and Desecration of Images of Classical Antiquity: A Study in Religious Intolerance and Violence in the Ancient World,” for which he received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies.) 

Albright-Knox: AK Contemporary

AK CONTEMPORARY: VIK MUNIZ

Friday, November 2, 2012, 5:15 pm

Poster for Waste Land

FREE for Members
$5 for non-members
Auditorium

5:15 pm
Lecture: “Vik Muniz: Imagery in Art”With Assistant Curator of Education Jessica DiPalma 

5:45 pm
Film: Waste Land, 2010Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land follows Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band ofcatadores—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they re-create photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadoresas they begin to reimagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker and Co-directors Joãs Jardim and Karen Harley have great access to the entire process and, in the end, offer stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit.

ABOUT AK CONTEMPORARY

AK Contemporary is a new series at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery that will focus on contemporary artists. Each program will begin with a lecture in which Assistant Curator of Education Jessica DiPalma will provide an in-depth look at the artist’s life and work and will conclude with the screening of a documentary film in which the artist is featured. This series will mark the first time many of these films have been screened in Western New York.

Albright-Knox Lecture

LECTURE: “150 YEARS OF CONTEMPORARY ART: A HISTORY OF THE ALBRIGHT-KNOX ART GALLERY”

WITH CURATOR OF EDUCATION MARIANN SMITH

Friday, October 5, 2012, 6 pm

FREE for Members
$5 for non-members
Auditorium

The first museum to exhibit photography as art. The first woman director of a major museum. A 150-year commitment to collecting contemporary art. One of the most successful partnerships in museum history. In celebration of The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy’s 150th birthday, Curator of Education Mariann Smith will introduce you to many of the people, events, works of art, and exhibitions that have made the Albright-Knox Art Gallery what it is today—an internationally known center of modern and contemporary art.

Albright-Knox: Illuminate AK

ILLUMINATE AK

Friday, October 5, 2012, 7–9:30 pm

FREE
Delaware Stairs Overlooking Hoyt Lake

During this 150th anniversary year, as a special thank you to our loyal Members and our entire community, we are thrilled to invite you to experience the first large-scale 3D video projection mapping project presented in Western New York on Friday, October 5, 2012, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

Gather on the Delaware Park side of the Gallery to witness the 1905 Albright Building come alive with color, light, and movement. The Gallery’s story will be told through never-before-seen images from our archives, as well as highlights from our famed Collection.

Two viewings of the projection will begin at 7:30 and 8:30 pm. Music, art, and refreshments will add to the entertainment. The fun starts at 6 pm.

This community-wide celebration of the Gallery’s 150th anniversary will be presented free as part of M&T FIRST FRIDAYS @ THE GALLERY.       

VIDEO PROJECTION MAPPING EXAMPLES

        

Nokia Lumina launch with deadmau5,      Luminous Field, Millennium Park,
Millbank Tower, London                             Chicago (Luftwerk)
View Video                                                   View Video

        

Fallingwater 75th Anniversary,                Madonna’s Super Bowl XLVI 
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater           Halftime Show (Moment Factory)
(Luftwerk) View Video                               View Video

Squeaky Wheel: CHRIS MARKER'S BESTIARY + THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT

CHRIS MARKER'S BESTIARY + THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT
FRI., NOV. 9TH @ 7:00 PM       LOCATION: SQUEAKY WHEEL MICROCINEMA
COST: $7 NON-MEMBERS / $5 MEMBERS

Celebrate the life and work of legendary French filmmaker Chris Marker (1921-2012) with this double feature. The Case of the Grinning Cat (2004) takes us meandering through Paris, ostensibly in search of a series of mysterious grinning cats whose stenciled image has sprung up in the most unlikely places as the filmmaker reflects on international politics, art and culture at the start of the new millennium. Marker’s Bestiary is a collection of 5 shorts devoted exclusively to animals - a subject matter that insistently pops up throughout his work.

THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT

The Case of the Grinning Cat, the latest creation from legendary French filmmaker Chris Marker, takes us meandering through Paris over the course of three years—2001 to 2004—ostensibly in search of a series of mysterious grinning cats whose stenciled image has sprung up in the most unlikely places: high atop buildings all over the city. The film—of which he has just prepared the English version—begins in November 2001 in a Paris still fresh from the shock of the September 11 attacks on the U.S., and where newspaper headlines read "We are all Americans." Over the next year, in the lead-up to the Iraq war, the city's youth march in numerous demonstrations for all manner of causes as Marker continues his pursuit of the mysterious cats. He finds them again, to his surprise, showing up as the emblem of the new French youth movement. "Make cats not war!" street art is the flip side of the idealism and exuberance driving the young people marching in protests the likes of which Paris hasn't seen since the mythic events of May 1968. While at times it might seem that the spirit of idealism has survived intact, the filmmaker's observation of it is tempered. Causes too, he observes, are a matter of fashion, and the film ends on a somber note. Cats and owls, politics and art, nimbly take their places in this Marker shuffle. The whole is woven together by the filmmaker's at times surreal humor, and by his astute and effortless camera that never fails to linger on the odd, ordinary, ineffable moments that only his eye can turn to gold dust. (Dorna Khazeni, 2006 Tribeca Film Festival Catalog)

CHRIS MARKER'S BESTIARY

Marker is best known for politically engaged documentaries (A Grin without a Cat, Le Joli Mai and Cuba Si!), for his personalized "cine-essay" films (Sans Soleil, Remembrance of Things to Come and The Case of the Grinning Cat) and the science-fiction classic La Jetée. No matter the subject, however, his films always reflect his deep and abiding love for animals. Indeed, virtually all of his work is suffused with images of animals—real ones as well as fine-art and pop-culture representations—especially cats, owls, wolves, horses, and elephants. Chris Marker's Bestiary collects his short films devoted exclusively to animals:

Cat Listening to Music Marker fans are familiar with the cartoon representation of Guillaume-en-Egypte, Marker's beloved pet cat, which has become the reclusive filmmaker's alter ego. In this charming short, Marker reveals the real-life Guillaume, stretched out lazily in the filmmaker's apartment, as he listens to the lilting rhythms of a piano sonata by Federico Mompou.

An Owl Is An Owl Is An Owl A visit to an aviary yields a rhythmically edited series of close-ups of the rapidly rotating or intently staring feathered heads of a colorful variety of owls, accompanied by an ambient electronic soundtrack.

Zoo Piece A leisurely-paced montage of animals, many of them confined in cages or enclosures-including seals, kangaroos, leopards, gorillas, wolves, monkeys, ostriches, and a sleeping rhinoceros.

Bullfight in Okinawa Two enormous black bulls engage in a contest of brute force, egged on by their screaming handlers, as they butt heads and lock horns in an attempt to rout their opponent.

Slon Tango In this astonishing, sustained shot, an elephant in the Ljubjana Zoo ambles around its enclosure, performing syncopated dance steps to the accompaniment of Igor Stravinsky's "Tango."
 

Canisius Lecture: "Cellblock Visions"

The Canisius College Department of Sociology presents “Cellblock Visions,” a slideshow presentation/lecture by artist Phyllis Cornfield on Wednesday, October 10 from 7:00 pm in the Regis Room South of the Richard E. Winter ’42 Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

“Cellblock Visions” is a lively collection of inmate artwork, created behind bars, from county jail to death row. Men and women inmates, who have no previous training, turn to art for a sense of self-worth, an opportunity to vent and a way to find peace.

Kornfield is an internationally -known prison art expert. She will present powerful images and eloquent quotes that reveal this unseen subculture and reveal the human faces of its inhabitants. Previously a K-12 and college art teacher, Kornfield has taught art to prison inmates for nearly three decades. She is a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Museum College of Art.

For more information, contact Maureen Kanczak in the Department of Sociology at Ext. 2746.

Daemen College: Exhibition Opening

Context + Marker
Brooke Knight

Exhibition Opening
October 6, 2012
6-9 pm

Location:
The Center of Visual & Performing Arts
Daemen College
4380 Main Street
Amherst, NY 14226

Daemen College - Art History Lecture Series

The first two lectures will be fair game for the course, although I encourage you to attend the Spring lectures, too. 

Location:

The Center of Visual & Performing Arts

Daemen College

4380 Main St. 

Amherst, NY 14226

More information on the first lecture can be found here. 

Hallwalls - Artists & Models: Showoffs

Artists & Models: Showoffs

Pierce Arrow Building
1685 Elmwood Avenue

Pre-Party from 7:30 - 9 pm
$50 ticket includes Wine, Beer, Showoffs Cocktail
Appetizers & live music by La Marimba
Tickets available at Hallwalls, online at hallwalls.org, or at the door.
Main Event 9 pm - 2 am

Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door
Hallwalls Members & Students $15 either way!

Join us for Artists & Models: Showoffs—a night of interactive art, dance music, live performances and all-out fun in the euphoric style for which Artists & Models is known. It's a journey to the exquisite, the ecstatic and the unrestrained, possibly to the point of implosion—and all with a celebratory air as more than thirty artists and performers interpret the theme and invite us into their revelry.

Buffalo's longest-running and most outrageously fun arts party—Artists & Models: Showoffs is an opportunity for everyone to enjoy as barriers between artists, models and audiences explodes, leading to a frenzy of creativity and all-out surprise. Showoff attire encouraged.

It's Artists & Models: Showoffs and it's happening only once, on Saturday September 29. Tickets are $15 in advance, members & students, $20 at the door, and are available at the outlets listed below. Cash bar, Must be 18 or over to attend. Must be 21 or older and have proper ID for beer and wine. The Whole Hog food truck will be on Great Arrow Drive for hungry revelers.

Tickets Available at:
Talking Leaves Books - both locations
Rust Belt Books
Room
Sweet Jenny's Ice Cream & Chocolate
Oh Pour L'Amour du Chocolate
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
Online at www.hallwalls.org

Artists
Melanie Aceto
Alice Alexandrescu
Jason & Deborah Bernagozzi
Nelson Bradley
Buffalo Lab
David Butler
Kyle Butler
Jake Cassel
Joel Coon
Lukia Costello
Kara Daving & Ani Hoover
Phil Durgan
Adam Frank
Jody Hanson
Bethany Krull
Jeff Maciejewski
Jim McLaughlin
Lorna Mills
Jamie O'Neil / Kurt Weibers
Nancy J. Parisi
Real Dream Cabaret
Liz Rywelski
Rachel Stover
Seth Tyler Black
Garrett Vorreuter
Sara Zak


Performers
MC: Shasti O'Leary Soudant
DJ Alex Spaulding
Live Band Karaoke
Brian Milbrand
Josh Smith
Jack Topht
12/8 Path Band

Sponsors
Abaca Press
Architectural Resources
Artvoice
Buffalo Spree Magazine
City Wine Merchant
Crescent Marketing, Inc.
Delish
FAR (For Art Repurposing)
Frazer/Montague Design
Hodgson Russ, LLP
Ristorante Lombardo
Rue Franklin
Shoe Fly
Union Concrete Construction, Co.

Squeaky Wheel: Bitter Seeds screening

BITTER SEEDS
presented in collaboration with Burning Books as part of Occupy Monsanto Week
THU., SEP. 20TH @ 7:00 PM       LOCATION: SQUEAKY WHEEL MICROCINEMA
COST: $7 NON-MEMBERS / $5 MEMBERS

Bitter Seeds is a dire warning about the devastating impacts of genetically modified seeds on agriculture. Director Micha X. Peled offers an intimate portrayal of the financial, familial and social tolls these seeds have had on the farmers of a small Indian town. We meet farmers, family members and a young girl who seeks to unearth the cause of so many farmer suicides in her town. Her determination to expose the connection between the suicides and Monsanto’s seeds is an inspiring and heart-wrenching David and Goliath story of the 21st century. Watch a trailer for the film here.

Following the screening, Stew Ritchie of Native Offerings Farm will speak about the effects of GMO seeds on local farmers. More information and letter writing opportunities will be provided by Burning Books and the Westside Working Food Cooperative.

This event is the final installment of Burning Books' three week film series dealing with some of the issues surrounding genetically modified crops. The series intends to raise awareness and support for Proposition 37, an upcoming legislation in California that would require genetically engineered foods to be clearly labeled and would ban the routine industry practice of marketing GMO-tainted foods as "natural" or "all natural." The outcome of this ballot initiative will play a vital role in determining whether GMO foods are labeled - not only in California, but across the entire United States and Canada as well. For more information about related events, visit www.burningbooksbuffalo.com.

WNYBAC: Libro della Notte Exhibition Opening

WNY Book Arts Center

Libro Della Notte Exhibition

Opening Reception: Friday, September 28 / 6-9pm
A special exhibition guest curated by Tim Frerichs. Libro della Notte is an accordion fold book comprised of work from approximately 100 international artists on the theme of “night.” This breathtaking book has been exhibited throughout the world, including Italy, Germany, and Spain. Its exhibition at WNYBAC is the first North American Showing of this extraordinary book.

The exhibition will also feature work from Andrea Kramer, Thomas Rohrmann, & Tim Frerichs.

More information: http://wnybookarts.org/exhibitions/

Squeaky Wheel: Here + Now Media Artist Showcase

HERE + NOW MEDIA ARTIST SHOWCASE
FRI., SEP. 14TH @ 7:00 PM       LOCATION: SQUEAKY WHEEL MICROCINEMA

 < - - - - still from Pierrot by Ryan Hoover

Join us for an evening with 9 media artists currently living and working in the Western NY region. See their work, learn about their practice, and exchange ideas. Consider this a more in-depth take on Pecha Kucha Nights, featuring  under-10-minute art presentations by Brandon Barr, Tra Bouscaren, Derek Curry + Jennifer Gradecki, Ryan Hoover, Matt McCormick, Eliseo Ortiz, Tanya Stadelmann, and David Tolkacz. Presentations will be followed by an open Q&A session with all artists.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Brandon Barr is an interdisciplinary artist with an emphasis in digital media. He is a graduate student in the Electronic Integrated Arts program at Alfred University and is currently in the process of creating The Libation Series, a work that builds upon previous explorations of the physical and metaphorical properties of water.

Glitching the boundaries between video, painting, performance, collage, sound, the written word, and sculpture both kinetic and still, Tra Bouscaren is a post-disciplinary artist and researcher. Concerned with questions of relational teleology, Bouscaren’s research and artistic production of late has pursued reciprocal systems, hallucination, catastrophe, macaronic verse as applied to written as well as visual languages, and the reading of metaphysics as comedy. Coming from a background in Philosophy at Yale and moving towards a doctorate in Media Studies at Buffalo, his intention is to contribute to the field of aesthetics from the perspective of the working artist.

Derek Curry (Pittsburgh, 1976) earned a BFA in photography from USF in 2007. Jennifer Gradecki (Milwaukee, 1980) earned a BFA in sculpture and experimental psychology from UWM in 2007. Curry and Gradecki received their MFAs from UCLA in 2010, and are currently PhD candidates at SUNY Buffalo. Curry’s work uses various materials, from copyright law to bacteria, frequently involves viewer participation, and intends to show people’s actions as a performance that can be read as a statement. Gradecki utilizes techniques employed by social scientists, investigating and displaying participant behaviors, systems of power relations and perceptions constructed through social, political and economic interests.

Ryan Hoover is currently a 2nd year MFA candidate in the Electronic Integrated Arts program at Alfred University. He received a BFA (Painting/Drawing) from the University of Michigan in 2004 and studied photography at the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 2002. He has travelled widely and worked as a photographer for the University of Michigan, documenting and comparing contemporary social issues in Southeast Asia.

Eliseo Ortiz was born in Monterrey, Mexico (1985). He received a B.A. in communication science from ITESM (2009) and an M.A. in visual studies at visual arts school UANL (2012). He was recently awarded with a Fulbright scholarship for MFA Studies and has created a body of artwork on film and video that explores the construction of memory and space.

Matt McCormick's work crosses mediums and defies genre distinctions to fashion witty, abstract observations of contemporary culture and the urban landscape. He has had three films screen at the Sundance Film Festival, and has had work screened or exhibited at MoMA, The Serpentine Gallery, The Oslo Museum of Modern Art, the Reykjavik Art Museum, The Viennale, SXSW, The Seattle Art Museum, and in 2007 he was selected to participate in both the Moscow Biennial and Art Basil. In 1996 Matt started the Peripheral Produce experimental film screening series and video distribution label. He also founded the PDX Film Festival in 2001 and served as the festival’s executive director until 2008.

Tanya Stadelmann is a Swiss-Australian filmmaker, media artist and teacher who has been working internationally as a cinematographer, director and editor on dramas, documentaries and music videos, and also as a publicity photographer for television and theater. Her work as a cinematographer has been broadcast nationally on Australian television and has screened at Cannes Film Festival and other festivals around the world. She has created multi-media projections for Sydney Arts Festival, Sydney Opera House, The Art Institute in San Francisco and Det Apne Theater in Oslo, Norway. Tanya has also performed at the Andy Warhol Museum with The Jilted Brides, made video projections for Pittsburgh theatre troupe Squonk Opera and has worked on commissioned short documentaries for The Pittsburgh Glass Center and Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Her most recent work has been a video collaboration with Finnish journalist Kirsi Jansa on the Heinz Endowment grant funded: Gas Rush Stories, a series of short documentaries about natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.

David Tolkacz is an experimental poet specializing in computer generated poetry. He is a member of the Gnoetry Group, a collective of poets who work collaboratively with technology. His work has appeared in BlazeVox and Moria Poetry, but David has since taken to self publishing his work and distributing it through google code or blogger
.

Squeaky Wheel: Downtown Renaissance Premiere Screening

DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE PREMIERE SCREENING
SUN., SEP. 16TH @ 1:30 PM       LOCATION: BURCHFIELD PENNEY ART CENTER

Please join us for the premiere screening celebration of the sixth annual Buffalo Youth Media Institute! Downtown Buffalo saw the return of development in 2012 so it seemed appropriate to theme the Buffalo Youth Media Institute's return as well! This year's theme, Downtown Renaissance, spanned cultural, architectural and artistic areas. Over the course of the summer, students from across the Western New York area have been learning about Buffalo and the issues that face our community as Downtown Buffalo is revitalized and rebuilt. Under the guidance of professional filmmakers and historians, youth producers studied the history, architecture, nature and culture of Downtown Buffalo and made self-directed documentaries based on their own research and interest. Youth-produced documentary topics include the Buffalo Greencode, Buffalo Place, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Canalside, the Western New York Book Arts Center, musical diversity, food culture, community building, downtown living and more!

 

The Program: 

Downtown Flavor (8m56s) : Griffin Schultz     Buffalo, New York was once one of the greatest, most beloved, and well recognized cities of America because she was a monopoly of grain and steel, the western terminus of the Erie canal, and home to the Pan American exposition. Today she is recognized for something totally different: her culture, her taste and her flavor. This flavor comes from the very passionate local food businesses that keep Downtown Buffalo thriving, and the foods created by those local businesses that produce a wide variety of flavors only native to downtown Buffalo, NY.

Downtown Buffalo : More than Meets the Eye (2m1s) : Hawa Mgaza

A Queen City Project (5m39s) : Benjamin Sardinia & Nicholas Sabio     A first hand look at the history and present of the Buffalo Waterfront. It is a tour of canal side and insight in the publics views of the changes it has undergone. Explore how canal side should change for the future.

Motoring Down Main Street (6m29s) : Jamie Hager     This short film focuses on how car travel is returning to Main Street after a 28 year absence. It illustrates what the benefits and negatives are to this large change through two different perspectives. This movie overall depicts how Downtown Buffalo is going through a renaissance to improve the area and this is merely one change that the city is going through to become a better place. 

Downtown: New Developments (3m30s) : Jacob Amo     This short film provides an appreciation of the current town.  Based off that it answers possible solutions to making “fuller”, “24-hour”, better downtown.  And ways to improve the downtown region for with the entire community in mind.

Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (6m23s) : James Werick     A brief description of how Buffalo fell from glory in the second half of the 20th century begins the video.  Then four of the leading executives at Kaleida Health describe how the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus will revitalize Buffalo.  These interviews are paired with lightly experimental cinematography.

Western New York Book Arts Center (7m56s) : Colin O’Brien     An interview with Chris Fritton on how the Western New York Book Arts Center is helping to bring people downtown. Learn about their workshops and events they offer in this short documentary. Visit their website at wnybookarts.org.

Coexistence (4m51s) : Willow M. Greene     A brief juxtaposition of the vacant buildings and thriving businesses in the Downtown area. The film focuses on the buildings along the Metro Rail on Main Street. In this short film, the buildings speak for themselves.

Downtown Buffalo’s New Cultures (6m53s) : Claudia D’Auria     This documentary shows the different cultures that are brought to the Buffalo.  It shows the different ethnicities that come to Buffalo and make it so diverse and how these cultures in Buffalo are shown and used.

Shea’s Restoration (5m20s) : Samantha Archer

The Sound of Buffalo (6m52s) : Michael Thompson

INTERMISSION : 10 MINUTES

Where Are You?!? (3m36s) : Wilfried Atonfack

What’s New Downtown? (6m38s) : Rafael Mencia

Where the Lines Overlap (6m2s) : Corey Wilde & Alexys Schlosser     The piece is about the perspective of Kevin Cain, a performance space owner in the heart of downtown Buffalo. Kevin reflects on the development and progression of culture and music in Buffalo and how the renaissance of downtown not only affects him as an owner of The Vault, but also as a citizen.

The Buffalo Green Code (4m47s) : Kelly Patterson     In a city that hasn't been effectively engineered since the mid-twentieth century, the modern day urban planners of Buffalo lay out the physical framework for a prosperous future.  An interview with planner Chris Hawley reveals the methods and reasoning behind the Green Code, the urban blueprint that will return our city to its former grandeur.

Where is the Fun Downtown? (4m14s) : Jessica Mercado     Four different views on what is wanted downtown, compared to what is already there. All interviewees are different ages, making the answers more unique. The interviewees' answers are similar in a way.

A People Place (7m42s) : Julia Ziaja     This documentary is about how to bring more people to live downtown.  To get answers I questioned two downtown residents and what they think.

Young Drama (7m15s) : Allie Vuich     "Young Drama" is a documentary about lack of theater in city schools. It focuses on kids who have theater in their schools and who do not. It also focuses on how the kids draw inspiration from theater on downtown Buffalo, which has a large and successful theater district. 

The Beauty of Buffalo (4m36s) : Prasidy Ochi     This project gives people the opportunity to see the “Beauty of Buffalo.”  Exploring downtown Buffalo and informing the audience on how downtown Buffalo is constantly changing.

Thursday After Thursday (5m53s) : Jacob Smolinski     The free summer Thursday concerts are one of Buffalos largest events and a huge attraction that draws hundreds of thousands of people downtown each year.  This year however, Buffalo Place made a switch.  Make that, quite a big switch.

Mikey: The Motion Picture (8m4s) : Matthew Lippman     Mikey Lawler is an 18-year-old Buffalonian.  Fresh out of high school, Mikey spends his free time collecting cans and making friends downtown.  “Mikey the Motion Picture” depicts a day in the teenage vagabond's life
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Squeaky Wheel: Bitter Seeds

BITTER SEEDS
presented in collaboration with Burning Books as part of Occupy Monsanto Week
THU., SEP. 20TH @ 7:00 PM       LOCATION: SQUEAKY WHEEL MICROCINEMA
COST: $7 NON-MEMBERS / $5 MEMBERS

Bitter Seeds is a dire warning about the devastating impacts of genetically modified seeds on agriculture. Director Micha X. Peled offers an intimate portrayal of the financial, familial and social tolls these seeds have had on the farmers of a small Indian town. We meet farmers, family members and a young girl who seeks to unearth the cause of so many farmer suicides in her town. Her determination to expose the connection between the suicides and Monsanto’s seeds is an inspiring and heart-wrenching David and Goliath story of the 21st century. The screening will be followed by discussion. Watch a trailer for the film here. 

This event is the final installment of Burning Books' three week film series dealing with some of the issues surrounding genetically modified crops. The series intends to raise awareness and support for Proposition 37, an upcoming legislation in California that would require genetically engineered foods to be clearly labeled and would ban the routine industry practice of marketing GMO-tainted foods as "natural" or "all natural." The outcome of this ballot initiative will play a vital role in determining whether GMO foods are labeled - not only in California, but across the entire United States and Canada as well. For more information about related events, visit www.burningbooksbuffalo.com.

Squeaky Wheel: Watch This!

WATCH THIS!
a series of films + conversations curated by Squeaky’s Regional Artist Access Residency participants
TUE., OCT. 2ND @ 7:00 PM       LOCATION: SQUEAKY WHEEL'S MICROCINEMA

Each year, Squeaky Wheel provides an opportunity for artists in Western NY to receive access to Squeaky equipment + facilities for the creation and exhibition of new work through the Regional Artist Access Residency (RAAR, for short). This year, the RAARtists are taking over Squeaky Wheel’s Microcinema to show you stuff you may never have seen before – come get stimulated, inspired, and/or weirded out by what they have to share! Along with your eyes and ears, bring your mouth because each magical & free Tuesday night  event will include a film + conversation. Stay tuned for RAARtist hints about their secretive screening selections!

WATCH THIS Schedule:

Tuesday Oct. 2 7PM - film selection by Kyle Butler + Shasti O'Leary Soudant

Tuesday Nov. 13 7PM - film selection by Lauren R. Gay + Isaac Johnson

Tuesday Dec. 4 7PM - film selection by Matthew Hardesty

Preservation +

Preservation Plus Conference Schedule Announced      Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) announces Preservation Plus, a week long conference focused at fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for Western New York's historic built environment, taking place on September 24-28, 2012. Preservation Plus builds on the momentum created by the National Preservation Conference that PBN hosted last October. The overwhelming success of that conference highlighted the need for regional preservation-related events and activities and brought much deserved attention to community revitalization efforts throughout Buffalo-Niagara. Preservation Plus aims to instill and reinforce a greater sense of community pride for our region's historic assets. Preservation Plus will examine the intersection of these and other significant topics with the aid of field visits, hands-on workshops, and demonstrations that highlight successful local projects. In addition to a focus on Historic Preservation, scheduled education sessions center on the themes of Urban Planning, Sustainability, and Community Revitalization. PBN firmly believes that these themes share common messages and goals.    Preservation Plus seeks to attract local residents, tourists, building professionals, local preservation and neighborhood leaders, as well as students and young professionals. With a wide range of topics, individuals with broader interests outside of the preservation movement are encouraged to attend. Over 40 unique Field and Education sessions are planned to take place throughout the week, not including the much anticipated return of the Museums by Moonlight event from last year's National Preservation Conference. Preservation Plus is limited to 300 attendees. Conference admission cost is $95 for the general public, which includes all sessions, food, and a complimentary ticket to the Museums by Moonlight event on Thursday, September 27. Events will be held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 5pm to 9pm, with a full conference day on Friday, September 28. A limit of 50 scholarships covering all costs of the conference are available to students who apply online.   To register for Preservation Plus, or for more information about sessions and student scholarships, visit PresPlusBuffalo.com or call (716) 852-3300.     Schedule of Events Monday, September 24th 5:30pm-8:00pm: Opening Session at the Allendale Theatre Dodo-Sapiens: Transform our Historic Buildings with Regenerative, Bio-Based Buildings Presented by Eric Freed, LEED AP, Hon. FIGP, Principal of organicARCHITECT, and author of the best seller 'Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies'. Tuesday, September 25th 5:00pm-9:00pm: Field Sessions: Day 1 The Hull House: Ins & Outs of a Historic Restoration Preservation in Action: Graycliff Inside the first "green" museum in New York State: The Burchfield Penney Art Center The challenges within: The Lockwood Mansion Renovation Webster Street: Where Preservation & Community Revitalization Meet Raw Material To Finished Product: Community Beer Works Brewery Reception & Tour of Historic Knox Farm Putting a "Civil War City" back on track: Niagara Falls Wednesday, September 26th 5:00pm-9:00pm: Field Sessions: Day 2 Unique Reuse of a Buffalo Church: The Buffalo Religious Arts Center Raw Material To Finished Product: Community Beer Works Brewery Urban Habitat Project: Bringing nature back to vacant urban landscapes Challenges to Preservation: The Reuse & Restoration of the former New York Central Terminal Preserving our Ethnic and Religious History in the Physical and Digital Worlds Reactivating the Past: Sustainable Preservation at the Richardson Olmsted Complex Shea's Buffalo: A Behind the Scenes look at Historic Restoration Techniques and Materials Sustainable Success: When is a restoration too successful? One Region Forward: Buffalo Niagara's Sustainable Communities Initiative Wood Window Workshop: Present by John Gulick PUSH Buffalo's Green Development Zone Thursday, September 27 - Museums by Moonlight . . . and More! (included in admission) 5:30pm-9:30pm - Admission to the Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Richardson-Olmsted Complex, Buffalo    State Art Conservation Lab, and Forest Avenue Resource Center. Architectural tours outside museums will also be held.  Friday, September 28th - All Day Conference (Special Session/Events) 8:45am-10:30am: Opening Plenary - Facilitated Panel Discussion    Preservation, Urban Planning, Sustainability, and Community Revitalization 10:45am-11:45am: Morning Breakout Sessions What is the National Register of Historic Places? Recapturing Public Space: The Reconstruction and Management of Pittsburgh's Historic Market Square Decorative Finishes Investigation: Techniques, Processes, and Equipment Used in Historic Paint Analysis Culture Clash: Art, Electrons, Teaching, Research, and Engagement Meet at the Solar Strand Green Design Guidelines: Reconciling the Differences between Preservation and Sustainability Graycliff: From Grass Roots to Deep Roots (Discussion Panel) Uncovering Your House's History Beyond Preservation: The holistic approach to revitalizing a community Revitalization of Main Street, Buffalo: The 500 Block (Walking Tour) 11:45am-1:15pm: Break for Lunch 1:30pm-2:30pm: Afternoon Breakout Sessions Saving Our City through Historical Research The Batavia Industrial Center: Revitalizing 19th Century Industrial Buildings for 21st CenturyBusinesses Case Studies in Preservation Tourism and Collaboration Historic Tax Credits: Attracting Investment for Your Rehab Project Changing the Secretive Culture of Government & Why That Is Important For Preservation    Efforts Greening Historic Buildings: Tips, Tricks and Finding Cash to Pay For It Preserving the Past with Our Future: Albion, NY Old Homes Attracting Young Professionals: Niagara Falls 2:45pm-5:00pm: The Green Code & Preservation: Zoning Historic Buffalo for the 21st Century Pre- and Post- Conference Events in Prospect Hill:             Friday, September 14th at 5pm: Deadline for Prospect Hill Photo Contest  Prizes, rules, and details at www.BuffaloTours.org            Wednesday, September 19th at 6pm: "The History of Prospect Hill" presentation at D'Youville College,includes showing of the film "In the Shadow of the Peace Bridge"   Saturday, September 29th from 10am-2pm: "Inside the Homes of Prospect Hill" home tour. Ticket information at www.BuffaloTours.org. Enjoy interior home visits on Fargo & Jersey,           Prospect & Porter, the Cottage District, and Columbus Parkway in Buffalo's only historic     lakefront community. See architecture from 1860 to 1955 including historic landmarks like Holy Angels Church, D'Youville College Chapel and other surprises.