05/01/09 07:01 AM
Bouncing back
It’s official. After a decades-long period of steady decline, the art gallery scene in Allentown is inching its way back to a critical mass. In the past three years, Buffalo’s erstwhile Bohemian enclave has welcomed at least two new galleries with regularly rotating exhibitions, Studio Hart (65 Allen St.) and Indigo Art (74 Allen St.), as well as the multidisciplinary arts center Sugar City (19 Wadsworth St.) and a smattering of smaller spaces. To celebrate the resurgence, a consortium of galleries led by the Allentown Association will launch “First Fridays,” a monthly gallery crawl on the first Friday of every month aimed at promoting the neighborhood’s eclectic artistic offerings.
The affair kicks off from 5 to 9 tonight, when about 20 galleries and another 40 or so businesses in and around Allentown open their doors to what organizers hope will be throngs of wandering art-seekers. Exhibitions include a collection of paintings by watercolorist and mixed-media artist Patrick Willett at Buffalo Big Print (78 Allen St.), which will also host a release party for local musician Juney Sunday’s new album “100 Billion Earthshines” from 6 to 9 p. m. An exhibition of new work by oil painter Nathan Naetzker is on view at Studio Hart, along with a show featuring fiber artist Nancy Belfer at Indigo Art and the College Street Gallery’s (244 Allen St.) monthly co-op show featuring work from 17 area artists. Down the road at Big Orbit (34D Essex St.), an exhibition of photographs by British artist Craig Smith will go on view with a reception beginning at 8 p. m.
For more information on the “First Fridays” initiative, www.allentown.org or call 881-1024. —Colin Dabkowski
