3/14/2007

Buffalo's Pain

Today's New York Times shines the national spot light on our "shrinking city" rather clearly...
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BUFFALO, March 13 — For a city that has lost so much unwillingly over the last several decades — industries, prestige, jobs and more than half its population — perhaps it was inevitable that a decision to allow anything of great value to leave here willingly would be met with howls of protest.

In this case the wealth is cultural, a collection of antiquities and medieval and Renaissance art that has been given to, or bought by, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery here since its founding in 1862 and that, beginning next week [read the rest...]
If the City's most loved and respected cultural institution is selling off a portion of its collection to stay afloat...yikes, isn't that just another sign - added to the growing list - that our City is "shrinking." Even if the AKAG had handled the pr side of things a bit better, it's still a wake up call folks. We're not growing...Buffalo be shrinking.

Last week, I attended the public hearing in Common Council chambers chaired by Council President David Franczyk. Never seen so many people in Council Chambers and this time discussing "deaccession"...

Wonder if David Franzcyk should be encouraged to hold a public hearing about the condition of Transfiguration Church - right around the corner from his house on Fillmore Avenue. It's a place where the art - albeit religious art like this Joseph Mazur mural - is literally falling off the wall. Then again, no one would show up...

- C'est la vie...
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have to disagree about associating the selling of museum artifacts with the "shrinking" city phenomenon. I think it has more (and only) to so with $$$. I don't know anything about the pieces the AKAG wants to auction off - could be they are in storage. Assuming they are being honest and sincere about their plans to purchase new art it may be the only way to go. And once again the NYTimes paints a dreary picture of upstate New York.