Category: PostEvents

Startups compete for more than $75K in funding and services

University at Buffalo’s Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition (Panasci TEC) is something that many people look forward to each year. Not only does the competition provide $65,000 in startup funding ($25,000 in seed funding and $40,000 for business counseling*) for the finalist, it helps to identify and reward a plethora of innovations – including digital, web, cloud-based, health, and well-being enterprises – that aim to benefit the region, and potentially the world.

The Panasci competition is in place to fuel and support UB-generated technologies.

Currently 13 teams have entered the semifinalist round of the 23rd annual Panasci competition. At this point, the judges have observed 37 first-round pitches, of which the following startups are vying for top honors, as well as $10,000 in seed funding for the second-place team.

Six entries were for digital, web and cloud-based innovations:

A secure web browser that syncs tabs across multiple devices, making the user’s web browsing experience seamless, secure, and productive.

A platform for digital nomads and experienced travelers to connect with each other and discover remote work.

A campus navigation app that provides a visualized map and detailed guide of almost every corner of a campus. 

A comprehensive web-based service platform for international students pursuing education in the United States. 

A cloud-based app that is simple and intuitive, enabling users to create, design, visualize and share the spaces of their dreams with their mobile devices. 

A freelance platform that connects students with startups and small businesses to work on project-based gig work.

Three pitches focused on services or products for health and well-being:

A device that provides users with an easy, effective way to quit vaping using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, gamification and other proven addiction cessation methods.

A durable medical equipment manufacturer that develops assistive bathing technologies to reduce strain on caregivers and improve the quality of the shower for the recipient. 

A fashionable bracelet that will send an SOS text or call for help with a simple tap command.

Rounding out the semifinalists were the following four proposals:

A company devoted to creating innovative renewable energy technology. The first product available will be a compact alternative to residential solar panels.

A safe-space certification program to increase visibility and competency of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in professional spaces. 

An intelligent inventory-management system powered by machine learning to reduce the cost of returns for e-commerce companies selling apparel, enabling brands to reduce expenses and make their ventures more profitable.

A producer of adhesive thermoplastic polyurethane liners to protect the interior of luxury handbags from everyday wear and preserve their value.

Along the way, the teams have been paired with a coach from the business community who has been charged with helping the semifinalists to achieve their pitch goals.

The competition’s judges have been tasked to select five finalists by April 3. Those startup teams must then fully present the concepts to the panel on April 24. Then, on April 25, public presentations will be held from 6-9 pm at UB’s Center for the Arts. The event, hosted by UB’s Blackstone LaunchPad, is an ideal opportunity to hear the 2-minute pitches from the start-ups, while networking at the same time. The community is encouraged to attend.

In addition to the competition on April 25, guests will be immersed in a demonstration of UB’s impact on economic development in the region. From 6-7 p.m., various UB entities — including Blackstone LaunchPad, Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, Libraries, Startup New York, the School of Management, and WNY Incubator Network — will highlight programs that develop the skills and cultivate the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation contributing to the region’s economic vitality. The demo experience will also feature “foodpreneurs” affiliated with UB’s entrepreneurial programs and a special musical performance by LEALE, a UB junior pursuing business administration. 

Anyone interested in attending the final presentations on April 25 should register on the Panasci website at management.buffalo.edu/panasci. For more information about the UB School of Management, visit mgt.buffalo.edu.

For more information, contact UB’s Blackstone LaunchPad at launchpadub@buffalo.edu or 716-645-8111.

*Business counseling from Atlas Alignment Growth Partners; legal services from Colligan Law LLP; accounting services from Lumsden & McCormick LLP; website development services from 360 PSG; product design and manufacturing services from Tresca; Intellectual Property legal services from Stake and co-working space from the UB Office of Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships. 

Lead image: 2022 Panasci winners, Team Real Talk Inc.: Sonya Tareke, Malkijah Griffiths, and Janelle Fore. Photo illustration: Douglas Levere.

The post <strong>13 entrepreneurs enter semifinal round of Panasci competition</strong> appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

Aaron Bartley owns Fitz Books, an independent bookstore that opened in downtown Buffalo in 2020. It’s a double storefront selling used and new books of various genres but with higher concentration in social justice, poetry, and history.

The ratio of used to new, Bartley says, “Is 65 percent used and 35 percent new.”

At the back of one side of the business, opposite the entrance, is the sales counter, doubling as a coffee bar – it’s also where to buy fresh, dense liege waffles. The other side has more shelves of books and is a gallery space; the back patio is not to be missed in summer or fall.

“The name of the store is a tribute to my uncle Brian Fitzpatrick who lived and worked on this block for 25 years,” Bartley says. “His favorite writers were those of the Beat era, and also environmentalists like Rachel Carson, as well as spiritualism.”

When asked how Fitz has transformed the cultural scene Bartley says, “I am a bookseller so that means cataloging, shelving, and sourcing books like when libraries are divesting. It also means following literary trends. And then there is the culture-building piece, Fitz is a culture space, we host art, political and literary events two-three times a week. Part of the culture in here is to not be afraid to have a political voice, and we talk about problems we see in the culture and community. A culture has developed here that was looking for a home. We’re a downtown space that’s a home base for photographers, fashion designers, beat-makers, and musicians: I don’t know that I did anything to make that happen except that I made a downtown space that is welcoming.” 

716 Tips

“Go to Just Buffalo’s events, especially their summertime Silo City Reading Series held in a grain silo at Silo City. Go to Red Jacket Park at the end of Smith Street, it’s not so spiffy but it’s great access to the river. We sit there with our kids and throw stones; we see deer, birds and trains. The kids love it when the trains cross a bridge over the river.”

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Jennifer Brazill is founder and producer of Borderland Music + Arts Festival.  It’s a multifaceted weekend-long celebration featuring local and national bands, artists making and selling artwork in former stables, an area for children with farm animals, musical instruments to try, and regional vendors of food, drink, and handicrafts.

Borderland happens on the grounds of Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora, an easy half-hour drive from Buffalo, transforming a quadrant of the 633-acre public park into a well-tuned festival that draws 12,000 music and fun lovers from the region and across the country.

“There are so many layers to Borderland,” Brazill says, “and I’m responsible for everything. I wear every hat of the business — booking the bands, hiring the crew, securing permits, getting all the assets for the site, including fencing, audio, stages, and porta-potties. I look at it as a blank canvas even though I’m not a visual artist. We map it out and then I walk the site with my team and go through every bit of it. I think the reason we are the first people to do any huge event at Knox Park is because I grew up in this community. We’re five generations in East Aurora, my great grandparents ran the railway station on Riley Street. They know I’m accountable.”  

Borderland, Brazill says, has “a very distinct vision and is for all ages and demographics. Someone told me, ‘You’ve really changed my kids’ lives, changed their vision about what’s possible.’ People come in their festival outfits, and it’s an immersive experience.”

Borderland donates a percentage of their proceeds back to the park, Brazill says, “to keep it growing and improving. Every festival weekend we are celebrating our great community, and so many types of creativity, while presenting it all to the region – and the world.”  

716 Tips

“Go to Town Ballroom downtown, there’s so much deep history there. It’s so important to support smaller, independent music venues as bigger corporations are taking over the music festivals and venues. We have to keep that authentic spirit alive. And, when in East Aurora, go to Wallenwein’s Hotel – Wally’s – a pub and restaurant with a great vibe.”

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A portion of the former Children’s Guild at 936 Delaware Avenue is going residential.  Ellicott Development has permits to create 12 apartments on two floors of the building. Ellicott Development teamed up with McGuire Development to purchase the circa-1938 structure in 2006 which has a mix of medical and office tenants.

Plans call for seven apartments on the 38,500 sq.ft. building’s third floor and five residential units on the garden level.  The first, second and fourth floors of the building would remain commercial space.

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We continue the series on walking Buffalo, from the intrepid couple who walked every day—no matter the weather—in the first 30 months of Covid. They think (without being systematic) they walked every street in Buffalo, and many in other cities and towns, taking some 20,000 photos, some of which are shared in this series. While not itineraries, we hope to encourage others to “walk the walk,” to see, observe and appreciate Buffalo—and beyond. William Graebner and Dianne Bennett are also 5 Cent Cine’s film critics, here.

One can’t walk the streets—of Buffalo, or its suburbs, or its outlying towns—without noticing the ways in which Western New Yorkers define and present themselves and characterize the places they live. Visual markers—signs, murals, seals, symbols and the like—capture, and even shape, the identity of a neighborhood, a place, a street, a town or city. 

Today’s photo-essay: Marking and Defining the Town, the ‘Hood, and “Place”

As measured by these markers, several of Buffalo’s neighborhoods have an especially strong sense of identity. Of these, most, but not all, are closely linked to the waterfront, which for more than a century was central to the city’s economic development. 

South Buffalo is among the neighborhoods with a “postcard” mural, one of several in the city painted by Buffalo artist Vinny Alejandro. It features the grain elevators, the botanical gardens, the flag of Ireland, two buildings I don’t recognize and, cleverly, the building on which the postcard mural is displayed (top right in the photo). A nearby Seneca Street yard sign celebrates the neighborhood. 

The First Ward also has a wall-size welcome to the area, with old-fashioned lettering—Old First Ward—and a smattering of shamrocks. It was sponsored by Cellino Plumbing (as were murals in Kaisertown and on Hertel Avenue—note the Cellino logo, lower right) and, like the South Buffalo postcard, was accomplished by Vinny Alejandro. To the south of Republic Street there’s an endangered mural of the scoopers who risked their lives in the dust of the grain elevators. To the east at the southern end of Smith Street (on the border between the First Ward and Valley), up against Red Jacket Riverfront Park, now-defaced murals painted on the supports of railroad bridges (long removed) record the area’s waterfront-related history. Several homes in the area signal allegiance to the neighborhood with a First Ward symbol (a 1st and a W). A more informal mural, on the side of Master Market on Louisiana Street, includes the Cargill elevator.

Black Rock also identifies with the water, although that neighborhood’s history predates the grain trade—and the mid-19th-century Irish influx—that shaped the First Ward and South Buffalo. A long mural (on Amherst Street as it turns north into Tonawanda Street) celebrates the community’s link with the Erie Canal (including New York’s governor, Dewitt Clinton; the Black Rock canal that was built during his term; businesses along the canal, including a chandlery, specializing in boat supplies); the war of 1812; and the railroad bridge linking the area to Canada (still in operation). Black Rock’s relationship with the water continues to the present day, with paintings of the scholastic rowing crews (mostly Canisius High School) on the side of the Black Rock canal. A “Welcome to Black Rock” mural/gate appears to be a private initiative, set back on a driveway between buildings.

On the city’s far East Side, Lovejoy (also known as Iron Island), has a strong sense of itself, one forged by the railroad tracks that bind the neighborhood on the south and north, and at one time separated it from Sloan to the east. But (to my knowledge) the neighborhood has no mural or “postcard” to express that identity, only a sign (with a steam locomotive) and, in some years, a participatory holiday display (that includes a decorative train). An unadorned, rather forlorn sign serves as an entry point to commercial “Lovejoy Village.” 

Kaisertown has a post-card-like mural (2018), another by Alejandro, a resident of the community. This one’s in a modernist mode, the period emphasized by 2 pink flamingoes, a yard motif that dates to 1957. Oddly, the mural makes no reference to any characteristic of the community, aside from its German heritage. But hold on. The name “Kaisertown” may be linked to the Poles who arrived later, specifically to the Polish name for St. Casimir’s, the splendid church in the area: Kazimierzowo. 

“Valley” (a reference to the valley of the Buffalo River), an industrial area with a smattering of homes to the east of the First Ward, comes off poignantly with its aging “Promise Valley” sign, suggesting a promise unfulfilled. The Fruit Belt has a new sign, but it does little to characterize the neighborhood, which seems to cohere primarily in its street names, although its future would seem irrevocably tied to the next-door medical corridor. The sign for Old Town, a comfortable Tonawanda neighborhood whose name belies its location just to the south of the Chevy engine plant, is oriented to the factory, rather than the community.  

Like Old Town, the image of the City of Lackawanna is deeply tied to industry (especially Bethlehem Steel), as well as to transportation (the railroads). Neither tie has found expression in a mural, a “postcard,” or an especially revealing sign. The entrance to Bethlehem Park, a lovely neighborhood within Lackawanna and across from where the mill and furnaces used to be, features a bust of Christopher Columbus (was the mill staffed with Italians?) and a “Welcome to Bethlehem Park” sign that links the neighborhood with the motifs of the official seal of Lackawanna: the steamboat and the sailing ship, the steel mill, and the Native Americans who once lived there. To the east, on the other side of at least a dozen railroad tracks, Lackawanna’s street signs—each naming a short street dead-ending on a rail line—reveal a neighborhood influenced by the trans-shipment of a variety of natural building products: Sand Street, Clay Street, Gravel Place. There’s even a Muck Street.

The Village of Kenmore seems determined to avoid anything that might identify it as other than a peaceful, safe suburb. Its police department has a “patch,” but the Village has no seal. If it did, it would surely include the most iconic structure within its borders, the almost 100-year-old water tower. Structurally sound, and a perfect vehicle on which to advertise whatever Kenmore has to offer, it’s about to be demolished.

With all due respect, we’ll pass on Elmwood Village (too close to home), and on the well-watered confluence of the City of Tonawanda/City of North Tonawanda, a favorite area of ours and one well served by historical markers though not, as far as we know, by a mural or postcard. Vinny, get to work!

We’ll also pass on Niagara Falls proper, which has two wall-size postcards and doesn’t need any. So powerful is the idea of Niagara Falls it can easily take over a neighborhood’s effort to see itself as a separate entity, as it does in the case of a mural intended to define the intersection of Centre and Highland Avenues; while some images are site-specific, others are straight out of the Falls playbook. 

However, at least two Niagara Falls neighborhoods insist on a sense of “place” distinct from the mother city. One is Echota (Cherokee for “Town of Refuge”), a planned community of worker residences to the east of Gill Creek, designed by renowned architect Stanford White and established in 1895. The other, La Salle, was once an independent village, but since 1927 it has been a part of Niagara Falls. Even so, it exists in relative isolation (cut off by the 190 on the west and the La Salle Expressway on the north), allowing for an ongoing feeling of separateness.

Still another city indebted to water, Lockport, does indeed have a city mural, and a comprehensive one at that, created in 2015 by Bruce Adams and Augustina Droze. Although, as expected, the Erie Canal is at the center of the 2015 work, the mural also presents the region’s agricultural economy—pumpkins, apples and grapes, as well as the figure of a farmer. And it has room for three women: the “Guardian of the Water,” according to one title we’ve seen; a Victorian-era lady who may represent the suffrage movement; and, in a citation to contemporary recreational tourism (and late-19th-century feminism), a woman riding a bicycle. A series of line drawings, of gears, a valve, a pump and the like, suggests the engineering prowess that made the canal possible (and brings to mind the mural’s other title: “The Flight of Five Locks”). 

Streets, too, can have an identity, or seek it. Parkside’s Crescent Avenue has adopted as its symbol (duh) the crescent! Just last year, the East Side’s Doat Street called attention to the thoroughfare in a simple but effective way: a mural with DOAT in capital letters. 

The “Urban Farm” piece on Wilson Street is more billboard than mural, but it captures the street and its history. In the pre-automobile era, the street functioned as an alley for Fillmore Avenue (one block to the east), its east side, especially, lined with horse barns, some of which still exist. After 1960, with the neighborhood’s decline, great patches of Wilson Street returned to grass and fields. The billboard, and the urban farm it advertises, reflect the neighborhood’s history and present, labeling the area “Wilson St.,” “Where the Farm Meets the Sidewalk.” 

Dart Street on the West Side is the site of what is likely the area’s longest mural, and, like the Wilson Street billboard, it’s about the area’s history. A genuine community effort by the Bradley/Dart/Danforth Streets neighborhood block club, some of its sections, probably painted by the area’s children, deal with love, nature and “respect,” while others are commemorative. The wall appears to be all that’s left of what was the 12-acre site of Westwood Squibb Pharmaceuticals, which once employed some 650 workers at the facility before it closed in 1996. The prominence of the company’s name on the mural suggests that the company may have funded the project, while testifying to the importance of Westwood Squibb to area residents. 

Seneca Street has its own wall-size mural, situated on a particularly “vibrant” section of the street, and just steps away from the Shea’s Seneca Theater (still there, at Cazenovia Street), featured on the mural. A horse-drawn grocery wagon (AW Bartlett’s Cash Grocery) references the neighborhood’s distant past. 

The street art capitol of Buffalo, Hertel Avenue has the distinction of being a street, an extended neighborhood, and a destination. It has two welcoming murals. On the west end, at Delaware Avenue, a 2021 piece by the artist Cherry sets Hertel in the context of Buffalo’s skyline, but it does not define the street. To its left, a separate piece celebrates Joey Giambra, the jazz trumpeter, songwriter, actor, and on-the-beat cop who was an iconic figure in Buffalo and, in later life, a restaurateur on Hertel Avenue. 

The other welcoming mural, on the east end of Hertel at Vorhees, sponsored by Cellino and the work of Alejandro (2019), is the classic postcard (though with a modernist background akin to the Kaisertown mural). It refers to St. Margaret Roman Catholic Church (the H), the street’s restaurants, bars and businesses (both E’s), Hertel’s links to the Italian community (R and L) and the North Park Theater (the T). 

One of the virtues of walking, rather than driving, is that it offers one a second chance to understand and appreciate what one sees. We had been by the mural at Grant and Amherst Streets many times, but not until a few days ago did we see it as more than an elegant tree. It is that, but the tree is rooted here in—voila′—black rock, an outcropping of black limestone along the Niagara River, the very stuff from which the area takes its name. Conveniently, the mural has the label, “Black Rock.” 

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Look Up! Roofs and Roofers

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Buffalo’s Mini-Marts

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Remembering 9/11

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Street Humor

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – The Yard as Spectacle

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Beware of (the) Dog

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo — Halloween

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo: Little-Known Trails and Paths

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo: Church Board Advice

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Coping with Covid

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Planters

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Christmas Tidings

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Murals… Off-the-Beaten Path

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Scajaquada Creek

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Block Clubs

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo – Black Lives Matter

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Once a Bar

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Queen City Sculpture

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Flying the Flag – Education 101

© William Graebner

The post How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo, and Beyond: <strong>Marking and Defining the Town, the ‘Hood, and “Place”</strong> appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

The thaw has come to Buffalo, and spring is here.  These events are celebrating the outdoors, bunnies, and the break for most public schools. The start of April is looking (Tom) green, and maybe for the first time, you won’t want to avoid Disaster (the musical). We here at Buffalo Rising hope the start this April is great…no fooling!

Comedy: Tom Green 

Helium Comedy Club
30 Mississippi Street
March 31 and April 1|7:30 PM and 10:00 PM
$28-40, plus a 2-item minimum  | Tickets

Favorite 90’s funnyman, Tom Green brings his unpredictable comedy to Buffalo for April Fool’s Day.  Star of the best comedies of the 1990s, and famous for his self-titled television show, Green was one of the comedic voices of a generation, and his show is a must see.  (This event is 18+ only)

Concert: Buffalo Chamber Players: Women in Music  

Buffalo & Erie County Central Library 
1 Lafayette Square 
April 2 | 3:00 PM
Free | Information

As Buffalo’s preeminent chamber music ensemble, the Buffalo Chamber Players present innovative music programs performed by the region’s finest musicians. This free concert celebrates women composers across history and will include works by Jenni Brandon, Reena Esmail, Caroline Mallonée, Jessie Montgomery, and Florence Price.

Event: Ice & Roller Skating at Riverworks

Buffalo Riverworks 
359 Ganson Street 
April 3 – 6 | Noon to 5:00 PM 
Free | Information 

In partnership with Independent Health, Buffalo RiverWorks is offering free ice and roller skating during the school recess!  Discounted skate rentals will be offered during this time.  If you or your family has ever wanted to try skating, this is your opportunity. Click here for full event details and times.

Event: Botanical Bunny Days

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
2655 South Park Avenue
April 7 and 8 | 10 AM to 4 PM
$8.50 – $15.50 | Tickets

The Botanical Bunny is hopping into the spring flower exhibit at the gardens.  Enjoy the colors and scents of all of the blooms, snap pictures with the bunny, and participate in the scavenger hunt to find golden eggs and carrots.  Face painting will be available at an additional cost. 

Theater: Disaster: The Musical 

MusicalFare Theater 
4380 Main Street, Suite 123, Amherst, NY
April 11-30 | 7:00 PM evening, 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM matinees
$50 | Tickets

Disaster: The Musical is a laugh riot.  A whimsical entertainment that features the best songs from the 1970’s, and spoofs the disaster movies of the same era, Disaster… will take you on a musical (“poseidon”) adventure. 

Event: Spring Sunrise Hike 

Tifft Nature Preserve
1200 Furhmann Blvd
April 15 | 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM 
$9 | Tickets

Celebrate spring on this guided trail hike. Hot tea or hot chocolate will be served by the willow tree by the education center at the culmination of this beautiful morning walk. 

Concert: Bruce Katz Band 

Sportsmens Tavern
326 Amherst Street
April 13 | 7 PM
$25 | Tickets

Bruce Katz is a legendary keyboardist and prolific recording artist.  He has been a member of Gregg Allman’s band, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, and Butch Trucks’ Freight Train Band, and is bringing his blues, soul-jazz, and jam blues fusion to Buffalo for an unforgettable evening of music. 

The post April Event Guide | Tom Green, Bruce Katz, Ice Skating, Disaster (The Musical), Botanical Bunny and More appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

THE BASICS: THE RINK, a musical, book by Terrence McNally, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, directed by Joey Bucheker, presented by O’Connell & Co. March 17 – April 2, Fridays – Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 3:00, 4110 Bailey Avenue, Amherst, NY 14226 716-848-0800 oconnellandcompany.com

THUMBNAIL SKETCH: Anna Antonelli’s roller rink, one of the last remaining attractions on The Boardwalk, is about to be demolished to make way for developers. Anna (Mary Gjurich) is looking forward to a new life away from the old neighborhood.  Suddenly, Anna’s estranged daughter Angel (Aimée Walker) returns, reopening old wounds, but bringing new hopes for the future.  It’s all about family, with memories good and bad told with flashbacks, songs, and some very entertaining dancing. 

RUNTIME: 2 hours with one intermission

THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION:  THE RINK (1984), which you may have never heard of, is a somewhat later collaboration by Kander & Ebb, long after CABARET (1966) and CHICAGO (1975), from a team that is, believe it or not, still collaborating today (on 2023’s NEW YORK, NEW YORK based on the movie).  

I kept hearing snippets of the melody “Maybe This Time” a song previously written by Kander & Ebb which was re-purposed in the movie “Cabaret” as sung by Liza Minelli, who starred as the daughter “Angel” in the original production of THE RINK. It certainly seems as if the duo favored Liza with good wistful songs, while including some hot dance numbers for the other star, Chita Rivera.  So, if you like Kander & Ebb, you’ll probably like this musical, even though it was not well received by critics.

It’s well-worn territory.  The daughter, Angel wanted “out” from her mother as she left on a journey of self-discovery, ostensibly to find her absent father.  Now she’s back and it appears that even though mom has moved on, Angel still hasn’t. She’s living in the past, or more accurately, her version of the past, and won’t accept the reality of the present.  It’s up to some tough love by mom to show her how it really was.  Well, it worked on me.  I teared up.

One of the charming highlights was young Piper Gabel from Tonawanda, on her pink-wheeled roller skates with pink pom-poms, playing multiple roles, but primarily young Angel.  Regular readers of my reviews know that I’m not a fan of musicals with children (MATILDA, SCHOOL OF ROCK, ANNIE, you get the idea).  But 10-year-old Piper offered just the right touch.  It turns out that she and her three sisters – 14-year-old Macy and 12-year-old twins Ashlyn and Grace – were only this last December invited to be on stage at Radio City Music Hall as part of a warm-up act for The Rockettes.  Talented family.

L-R Aimee Walker and Piper Gabel

L-R Mary Gjurich as Anna, Aimee Walker as Angel, David Wysocki as the dad

L-R Mary Gjurich as Anna, Aimee Walker as Angel

Aimee Walker on the retro set by Bill Baldwin

Aimee Walker as Angel remembers her youth skated by Piper Gabel

L-R Angel, Aimee Walker and mom, Mary Gjurich disagree
Photos by Jessica Marinelli

The singing and dancing by all was good with some very smooth dance moves by Mary Gjurich and Aimée Walker and the very tall very fluid Vincent “Vinny” Murphy.

But the highlight of the show came in the second half during the song “The Rink” in which all six male actors, who up to this point had been playing other roles (grandfather, father, moving men, neighbors and neighborhood punks) put on a fabulous, choreographed routine on roller skates.  The audience went wild to see Corey Bieber, Nick Lama, Vinny Murphy, Matthew Rittler, Michael Wells, and David Wysocki all skating and dancing in unison. It was a moment.

Musical direction was by Joe Isgar, who is a regular for O’Connell & Co., but I wish the orchestra had been more visible, instead of behind the set.  The music felt a little distant. The set (Bill Baldwin) used the space cleverly and was littered with props (Matt Mogensen) while the costumes (Timmy Goodwin) seemed “era-appropriate.” Kudos to Goodman for coming up with at least two if not three different outfits for the guys (depending on what roles they had), Stage Manager Leyla Gentil for getting everyone and everything where it was supposed to be, and to Lighting Designer Jay Marks for making the space realistic.

O’Connell & Co. is taking up a collection to buy mirrors for their rehearsal space, so when you go, bring a few bucks to drop in the roller skate.

*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)

ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.

TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.

THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.

FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.

FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!

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After selling its Atrium Building to Douglas Development in December and consolidating its local workforce into offices on Walden Avenue in Depew, HSBC is planning to return to the city but in the Larkin District.  According to The Buffalo News, HSBC will be taking over the Larkin U Building on Van Rensselaer Street which Key Bank recently vacated.  HSBC expects to move into the space this fall.

The 63,000 sq.ft. Larkin U Building at 239 Van Rensselaer Street was renovated in 2011 by Larkin Development Group and is leasing the space to HSBC. The three-story brick building with Medina sandstone accents is designed in the decorative Romanesque Revival style.  The primary western façade features a series of large arcaded arches which contain windows and a central entry door.  Originally constructed in 1893 by D. Ullman Sons, a large-scale industrial salvage and recycling firm, the Larkin Company purchased the building in 1911. After renovations, First Niagara Bank occupied the building and after First Niagara was acquired by KeyCorp in 2015, Key Bank.

Although HSBC employs 2,000 locally, the bank has drastically reduced its office space footprint due to its employees being on a hybrid work schedule.  The bank’s move further solidifies the Larkin District as a back office and finance hub joining Key Bank and M&T Bank that have offices in neighboring buildings.

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Cindy Sherman is a photographer who began her career here as a student at Buffalo State College in the mid 1970s (while she was also a founding artist of Hallwalls) and has since risen to international acclaim. She is now acknowledged as one of the most significant artists in the art world today. Throughout her entire career she has created images of herself transformed into characters and personalities ranging from the mysterious and macabre to the comical.

A few images of some of Cindy Sherman’s iconic works – as a spellbound Fortune Teller, Lucille Ball look-alike, bedraggled Mrs. Claus, and even (both) a Doctor and Nurse | Images from the collection of Gerald Mead.

An exhibition, a substantial five-decade retrospective of Cindy Sherman’s work, is on view at CEPA Gallery through April 22. It consists of my entire collection of Cindy Sherman’s work that I have assembled over the course of nearly 30 years and includes representation of several of her most significant series of works such as Untitled Film Stills, Fairy Tales, History Portraits and Instagram. It is the largest single exhibition of Cindy’s work presented here in Western New York since the 1970s as well as being the most comprehensive.   

Following is a Q&A with curator Veronique Cote and collector Gerald Mead, per Cindy Sherman’s lasting legacy to the Buffalo community:

When did you realize you grew from being someone with a lot of artworks to an art collector? When did it become serious for you?

Oddly enough, I didn’t think I could refer to myself an “art collector” until I had an (arbitrary) 100 works of art. I reached that point after 6 years of collecting, and now, 30 years later, I have over 1,700 works.

In 2002, I was invited by John Massier, curator at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, to share a segment of my collection in a series at Hallwalls he called “Invisible Archives.” The response I got from that exhibition by artists whose work was included and the public convinced me that my private collecting activity could serve a greater function in the public sphere – a valuable means of chronicling, preserving and presenting the art history of the region. I’ve been guided by that purpose ever since then.  

Where does your passion for Western New York artists come from? 

As an artist myself, I feel a particular kinship and respect for artists and art educators with ties to WNY, and that that includes those that preceded me by decades, my peers and the next generation. My interest in their work is also reinforced by my vocation as a former (and now independent) curator and educator. Imbedded in their artwork is an artist’s unique identity and I feel a responsibility to uncover that and share it.

Where did you acquire your first Cindy Sherman? Do you remember how much you paid for it?

In 1995 there was an “after party” at Big Obit Gallery in the Essex Street art complex (the original locale of Hallwalls) following Hallwalls’ 20th anniversary exhibition at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. Hallwalls donated from their archives a piece titled “Letraset Art Sheet #1” that Cindy created in 1976 as a handout to accompany her exhibition. It was an electrostatic print made from a collage of clip art of women in various roles and expressions. I was fortunate to win it as one of the door prizes. A couple of months later, I purchased her 1990 “Untitled (Mrs. Claus)” from Metro Pictures, her dealer in New York. It was being offered at that time as an affordable open edition of one of Cindy’s images.  

Do you think collecting art is something only the wealthy can afford?

There are many price points and opportunities to be able to collect on a modest budget. If there is an artist whose work you are interested in, consider a less expensive work on paper or print by them. Also, I advise exploring the many options there are to see and buy affordable art and that includes charity auctions by arts organizations, holiday exhibitions at commercial galleries, members exhibitions, and open studio events/sales by artists.  

As an artist, what of Cindy Sherman, if anything, has flowed into your own work?

I have an affinity for Cindy’s use of visual irony in her work and that is something that I try to explore in my artistic practice in my image and found object collages and assemblages. On a couple of occasions, I have even made works that were intended as homages to Cindy.  

What is your connection with Cindy Sherman? 

Cindy and I are both alumni of Buffalo State College though we were not there at the same time (she was there 1972-76, it was 1983-86 for me). I organized a survey exhibition of her work in 2004 at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center when I was a curator there and co-curated another survey exhibition at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University in 2014. Both of those exhibitions were composed of her works in public and private collections in WNY. I’ve also lectured on her work at Hallwalls and collaborated with her to create a multiple on the occasion of the Castellani exhibition.  

Which of the artwork is your most beloved item from Sherman and why?

That is a tough one, and the esteemed WNY art collector Charles Rand Penney described that question as akin to asking who your favorite child is from among several children. Having said that, I often feel that my most recent acquisition is my “temporary” favorite – so that would be a one-of-a-kind work by Cindy that I acquired just weeks before this exhibition. It is set of small commercially produced cardboard figure cutouts – a family of four – that Cindy has deftly erased the facial features on, thus removing an integral part of their identity. She made them in 1976 while she was a student at Buffalo State College and exhibiting with both CEPA and Hallwalls. I think that they are important creative works that can be seen as a precursor to the ideas and images she developed over the decades exploring the alteration and transformation of identity.    

A lot of the items in the collection are special editions or even one of a kind. Can you talk about a few of the most salient ones? I think you even have a roll of special edition toilet paper if I recall… that’s quirky and amazing!

The limited-edition plate with Cindy as Madame de Pompadour was the result of her being approached by Artes Magnus in 1990 to create porcelain designs for Limoges. She modeled the work after an original design commissioned by Madame de Pompadour in 1756. That experience eventually led to Cindy’s series of “History Portraits.” Cindy’s “Untitled (Under the WTC)” was her response to the World Trade Center tragedy in 2001. She went back to her original negatives from the day she did a shoot at the site in New York as part of her “Untitled Film Stills” series and selected a second image to print in an edition of 100. Many of them were sold through charity auctions (I got mine from CEPA’s auction). Cindy created the image where she resembles Lucille Ball in a photo booth in fellow Hallwalls founder Michael Zwack’s studio in 1975. She had it reprinted as an unlimited edition sold through Metro Pictures in 2001.  

The toilet paper – rolls printed with a stamp of her lips and surreptitiously placed in public bathrooms – was something Cindy devised in 1995 as an on-campus “art attack” while a student at Buffalo State College. While doing research for her 2014 exhibition at the Castellani, curator Michael Beam and I discovered it as a set of written instructions in the Hallwalls archive at University at Buffalo. When we asked Cindy about it, she said she had done it and still had the rubber stamp she made for it. She lent us the stamp, and with her approval, an edition of 30 rolls were produced, some of which were placed in the bathroom stalls at the museum for the duration of the exhibition.   

You plan on donating your collection to various museums in New York State. Why do you feel it is important to donate?

I’ve been fortunate to own – and include in many exhibitions of my collection over the years – a large number of works by Cindy that chronicle her career. By eventually gifting these works to public collections, they can continue to be broadly seen and enjoyed by many. I am planning to give one work to as many art museums across New York State as possible. For each one, I will work with them to identify which work would be the best fit for their institution since some already have some representation of her work in their collection and others have none.    

What’s the lasting legacy of Cindy Sherman to the Buffalo community?

To the world, Cindy is a universally celebrated photographer. To Buffalonians, she is our art community’s equivalent of hometown icons like Lucille Ball, Tim Russert and Jim Kelly. Her time in Buffalo was a seminal part of her meteoric career – that combined with her extraordinary success in the international art world since then has long been a great source of pride for the WNY art community. Furthermore, the region’s three art museums – the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Burchfield Penney Art Center and Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University – all have substantial holdings of her work. The standout among them is the Castellani, which has at least one of works on view at all times in their art historical survey galleries.

      

Some upcoming programing that will accompany the exhibition:

Collector’s Tour led by Gerald Mead on April 1, 1 p.m.

Screening of “Office Killer” (Cindy Sherman’s 1997 directorial debut film) at Hallwalls on April 13, 7 p.m. 

Learn more @ CEPA Gallery

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When I first heard about the development plan for the mixed-use project at the corner of West Tupper and South Elmwood, I was pretty excited. I saw that there was great potential to create an anchor project for the block, which had always seemed a bit ragtag and underperforming.

As I looked at the various buildings that would need to come down, in order to accommodate the project – 147 West Tupper, 149 West Tupper, 159 West Tupper, 161 West Tupper, 42 Trinity, 44 Trinity, and 167 W. Tupper – my thoughts turned to 44 Trinity Place (circa 1866). It seemed as if there was a real potential to somehow incorporate the gem of a property into the new project, even if it was a longshot. I soon learned that others, including Frits Abell (Five Points developer), were also inquisitive about the structure. For a number of reasons, this particular structure stood out. We felt that it might be beneficial to reach out to the developers, to see if there was a chance to save an element of the structure for future use, in tandem with the project.

44 Trinity Place

The development team said that they would take our concerns to heart. They promised to consider the idea/request of preserving an element of 44 Trinity. But after a couple of months passed by, I figured that it was a most likely lost cause. That was, until earlier today, when I received a call from a member of the development team, stating that everyone liked the idea of saving the facade of 44 Trinity… and if the project is given the green light, it will become the proud beacon for a neighborhood café or eatery. In order to further illuminate the preserved facade of 44 Trinity, the architects even went so far as to include a recessed “setback” within the project schematic that would allow for an outdoor seating area for the coffee shop. The setback (details below) would also provide a better sightline onto the historic facade.

Following is from Studio V concerning preserving the facade of 44 Trinity Place:

Dear Members of the City of Buffalo Preservation Board,

We are pleased to submit the following amended application to the City of Buffalo Preservation Board for a Certificate of Exception for the assemblage of properties located at 147 West Tupper Street. The attached materials provide additional information to amend our previous application, dated March 16, 2023.

Our team has elected to respond to the Board’s request to consider the retention of the facade and a portion of the existing building at 44 Trinity Street. In the attached proposal, we have proposed to retain or reconstruct the façade, in its current location, and to reconstruct a portion of the volume of the historic building, including the gabled roof, to a depth of approximately 18’-6” from its current location on Trinity Street. This is the depth of the existing front portion of the building, which forms an integral structure and volume, and as was discussed in the public hearing and Board meeting.

As a licensed architect with extensive experience in historic preservation and rehabilitation, I must convey to the Board my personal and professional observations that the structure of 44 Trinity including the façade is severely compromised. These include the following facts: three of the four sides of the foundation are currently in a state of progressive failure; the main façade is in very poor condition; and portions of walls are missing entirely including at the supporting wall of the façade and have been exposed to the elements for long periods of time under previous owners. While this information is supported by our previous submittal of a professional engineer’s report, I have personally reviewed the existing conditions in detail in order to make the following proposals.

Given our Studio’s experience with historic rehabilitation and restoration, my goal will be to retain the original fabric of the façade to the greatest extent possible. We propose to fully document the existing structure with precise measured drawings including exact profiles and dimensions. We will then give direction for skilled carpenters to remove the façade elements by hand, store them in an appropriate secure location, and later reconstruct them in their exact configuration as proposed in our amended application.

In the event the severely compromised elements of the facade are not possible to retain or repair, they will be precisely reconstructed in kind, in like materials, sizes, profiles, and proportions. It is not possible to retain the original fabric of the remainder of the structure, but to ensure the integrity of the façade and building volume and appearance. we will reconstruct the precise volume behind the façade, including the gabled roof, to its original proportions and dimensions to a depth of 18’-6”. In addition, we will conduct an historic paint chip analysis to determine the building’s original historic color and utilize this information in the final design.

With regard to the Board’s question regarding scale or rhythm, we have a series of responses. The existing corner structure facing 42 Trinity is three stories in height. The three existing historic homes to the east of our proposal, owned by and restored by our client, are also all three stories in height. The proposed design for our building is three stories in height. The proposed design is commensurate with the existing historic scale of the neighborhood.

Only 44 Trinity is lower in scale, at two-and-one-half stories (including attic), with very low ceiling heights. In our amended proposal we will retain and or reconstruct this structure as outlined above, adding this variation in scale, volume, and material to our design proposal as shown, and setting the proposed new building back and around 44 Trinity.

The manner of the revised proposed massing and its interaction with 44 Trinity are unusual and worthy of careful examination as to how they positively impact the scale of the historic street and district. To the west of 44 Trinity, we have proposed to set back our new proposed building on Trinity Street, to the west side of 44 Trinity, revealing and expressing it as a complete volume (as in its current condition). In this way, it will not read as a “stuck on” façade as with so many preservation projects, but instead as a true volume with integrity and character.

To provide a suitable adaptive use, our intent is to utilize 44 Trinity, appropriately activate the streetscape, and take full advantage of the storefront-like character of the historic façade. To do this we will reuse it as a small scale commercial retail establishment. It would make an excellent two- story neighborhood café or similar use. To the west, by proposing the setback (even though it reduces our proposed building’s area) we propose creating an intimate outdoor seating area adjacent to and immediately accessible from 44 Trinity to support its use as a café. This further breaks down the scale of the proposed design (including both the retained and new building), while enhancing the historic nature of the streetscape, and establishing the historic building’s re-use within an appropriate setting and historic viewshed.

A significant feature of this elective design feature is our proposed retention and saving of two large, old neighborhood existing trees adjacent to 44 Trinity. This is not easy. These are located immediately adjacent to the property (with no formal means of protection), but we estimate them to be approximately 150 years old and exceed fifty feet in height. These historic trees adjacent to the retention of 44 Trinity will significantly enhance the scale and create a compelling streetscape for this historic neighborhood. At our direction a professional arborist reviewed these trees and believes that given our design modifications (including setbacks and gardens) even if it’s not possible to absolutely guaranty their survival, they are excellent candidates for care and retention, adding a positive contribution of scale and greenery for which we have received very positive feedback from the community.

Our design makes additional significant contributions to address issues of scale and rhythm that go well beyond retaining 44 Trinity as described. While the Certificate of Exception does not yet raise design, the Board’s own question compels its consideration in conjunction with the retention of 44 Trinity. Our proposed design elects to contribute a series of varied rooflines, gables, asymmetrical and non-repetitive fenestration that is inspired by the neighborhood’s historic architecture, without falsely mimicking it. Most importantly, the massing itself offers significant setbacks including gardens, widened sidewalks (requested by the community), terraces, and covered recessed arcades that are costly to the project in terms of built area and elective setbacks but have received great support from the community for their unusual approach and the manner in which they directly address the Board’s question of scale and rhythm.

We previously provided detailed economic analysis of the costs of retaining 44 Trinity, in our previous application. These clearly indicate retaining the historic elements do not provide an appropriate rate of return, primarily due to the structure’s extremely compromised structure due to the willful neglect of previous owners, in contrast to our client who has meticulously restored over twenty houses in the immediate surrounding neighborhood.

I must please note the design team chose to conduct extensive outreach with the local community and has received extensive letters of support. This support was extensive and deep. Specific letters of support include Patty McDonald, President of the Allentown Association; Dennis Maher, a University of Buffalo Professor of Historic Reuse and Rehabilitation, Edmond Cardoni, Executive Director of Hallwalls, Newell Nussbaumer, Founder and CEO of Buffalo Rising, Maria Rosario Cala, Principal of Badillo Academy, and seven members of the immediate neighborhood and community who will be most impacted by the project, including Chad BeVier, Celia White, Thomas Gleed, Susan Peters, Mark Di Giampaolo, and David Wahl—many of whom live on the street or immediate vicinity of our project and include passionate advocates of the community and historic preservation.

As the owner of STUDIO V, I personally undertake community outreach on all our projects. I am humbled by the support for the project, which includes the selective and thoughtful demolition of the structures requested, and for the design that we propose to add in the midst of their homes, businesses, institutions, and neighborhood.

In partnership with our esteemed local professionals and collaborators Silvestri Architects, I wish to convey my personal commitment to create a design that is worthy of this support. It is essential to me to promote and protect both the quality of the rehabilitation of 44 Trinity, and equally the detail, materials, and quality and details of the proposed new architecture and how they interact together to create a complete and compelling work of architecture. And I feel an obligation to work to ensure the viability of these materials details for the proposed project as it progresses through the approval process.

On a personal note, thinking back to my inspiration to join the profession by the historic architecture of the city, including the grain silos at Silo City on which my Studio is engaged, as well as the industrial steel mills in which my father worked, my greatest goal is to work closely with the community to contribute a compelling and inspiring design, combining old and new, that is worthy to stand within the great architectural heritage of Buffalo.

We hope the Preservation Board provides this amended proposal the attention of which we believe it is worthy, and humbly request it has the merit to meet your approval.

Sincerely,

Jay Valgora – Founder and Principal STUDIO V FAIA, AICP, LEED, WEDG

Phil Silvestri – President, Silvestri Architects AIA

You can learn more about the nature of all of the buildings that currently occupy the footprint of the project (all of which will be coming down except for 44 Trinity) by clicking here. It seems to me that by preserving the facade of 44 Trinity for future use as a café, and getting this significant project constructed, it’s an overall win for South Elmwood, and Buffalo.

A tale of two “city blocks”

Proposed Project

We have assembled a dream team of the well-established Silvestri Architects in Buffalo and New York City based Studio V, a successful, internationally renowned, award-winning architectural firm. The founder of Studio V, Jay Valgora, grew up in Buffalo and has a love for his hometown.

Studio V, with the strong support and assistance of David Nardozzi of the Silvestri Architects for consultation, review and compliance with the Buffalo Green Code, have created a beautiful design. Kulback’s Construction has been retained as the Construction Manager for this project. Tom Barrett, the president of Kulback’s, is actively involved in this planning stage as a member of our team.

The plans incorporate the vernacular of surrounding architecture using high-quality and durable historical materials such as elongated real bricks instead of the trendy and less expensive metal panel exterior. Instead of building the maximum number of units up to the lot line, half of the site will be green space with 39 surface parking spaces which will be well landscaped; many existing trees will be preserved and new trees will be planted.

The other half of the site will be a new building containing 40 apartments; (6 studio, 28 one- bedroom and 6 two-bedrooms) on the second and third floors and 13,000 SF of eatery spaces on the first floor. There will be a roof garden of about 1000 SF for tenants of the building. There will be 41 underground parking spaces. The plan will increase foot traffic by widening the sidewalk on the 200 foot frontage on South Elmwood further away from the curb.

Retail Plan

During the Preservation Board Committee meeting on January 27, 2023, Eric Lander rightly pointed out that the neighborhood has been a “retail desert” for decades. Based on our market survey from the neighborhood, there seems to be a real demand for everyday eateries and cafés for breakfast, lunch and supper. We’re especially focusing on new-generation eateries that are open, clean, bright and healthier, instead of traditional fine dining. These eateries are new age, casual, and chic. They utilize the smart phone and new technology for food preparation, ordering, payment, etc.. They tend to have limited seating inside, to encourage patio or curbside dining in a post-pandemic world by serving a growing digital customer base. Our plan calls for five to seven restaurant spaces ranging from 1050 SF to 2440 SF in size.

The revised project will be considered at the next Preservation Board meeting Thursday, March 30, 3 pm. City Hall Room 901, or by video conference.

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