Arts
Buffalo values arts and culture as a tool to engage citizens in community activities and events at art galleries are well attended.
The Polish Arts Club is a good example of how diverse the Buffalo scene really is. At the Polish Arts Club, they offer many events, from musical showcases, film showings, and social gatherings to art shows, projects for children and writer’s workshops. The reason for having such a diverse club is to educate people on Poland’s heritage and culture, according to the foundation’s mission.
Buffalo is also home to the Carnegie Art Center, which was built in 1903. From 1903 until 1973, the historic building served as a public library. However, as it is no longer a library, the Carnegie Art Center now offers a wide variety of classes on subjects such as ballet, literature and visual arts, amongst other activities. The Center also offers an ever-changing display of exhibitions from artists representing all parts of the country.
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is noted to be amongst the best of its type in the world. Inside the gallery are showcases of magnificent treasures from varied places in the world and eras in history, such as work by Van Gogh, Picasso and Pollock. It is the beautiful, unique and famous artwork that attracts visitors to the museum (and city) from all over the world.
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center opened in 1966 by local Buffalo artist, Charles Burchfield as simple, the Burchfield Art Center. In 1983, the name of the museum was changed to the Burchfield-Penney Art Center to support the many different styles of art located within its walls. It is home to a large collection of Burchfields' work, abstract paintings by many different artists, sculptures made of all materials, and galleries designed and created to perfectly mimic rooms dating anywhere from the early 19th century up to the 1960’s.
The Royal Academy of Ballet and Dance is another important component of Buffalo’s culture. The academy was opened in 1947 by ballerina, Ginger Burke. At the academy, all types of ballet, such as classical and modern, and dance, such as jazz and contemporary, are taught. Many of its students have grown to be very famous performers, such as Michael Bennett, who graduated and soon became a successful director/producer of dance. Linda Swiniuch, the founding director of the Theatre and Dance Department at the University of Buffalo also attended Buffalo’s famous Royal Academy of Ballet and Dance before she went on to found the department at the University.