Painting for Preservation: June 2013

Welcome to Painting for Preservation!

Welcome to Painting for Preservation! This initiative, founded by artist Sara M. Zak, is aimed at drawing attention to distressed, at-risk, and under-utilized historic locations through on site art making.

Mission: To bring together artists of all media in support of historic distressed properties and communities. To create artwork on-site related to the location as a means of raising positive awareness of the space.

My hope is that we can continue this effort in Buffalo and expand the concept to other architecturally rich cities. Please e-mail Sara M. Zak if you are interested in starting a Painting for Preservation initiative in your city at info@paintingforpreservation.org

Our goals:
1. Raise awareness of at-risk, distressed and under-utilized locations and their neighborhoods

2. Create a record of historically rich locations through art

3. Create a community of artists invested in the urban landscape

4. Bring exposure and provide assistance to artists interested in documenting at-risk historic neighborhoods while also collaborating with members of those same neighborhoods.

5. Involve communities in sharing their stories of local historic architectural and their neighborhoods.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Painting for Preservation Joins BALLE conference in Buffalo, NY

Grain Silo_5, Buffalo, NY by Steve Siegel

Painting for Preservation will be participating in the opening reception and session of the BALLE Conference (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) by doing what we do… making on-site art at historic structures. Come join us for a rare evening event on Wednesday, June 12th, 5:00pm – 7:30pm at Silo City. Capture the majestic grain elevators overlooking the water at dusk. Artists of all media and skill level are welcome. The Facebook invite can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/669510153074520/.

When Painting for Preservation introduced its program to hundreds of National Preservation Conference attendees in 2011, the response was overwhelming with many enthusiastically saying that they intended to share the idea with their home cities. This uniquely Buffalo artists’ initiative showcases our grassroots spirit, our belief in Buffalo’s possibilities, and brings together two of our greatest assets – our architecture and our artists. This is a great (and free) way to participate in the BALLE conference!

Here's a map of the location. Just down Ohio Street from Riverfest Park! http://goo.gl/maps/6pxbs Drive in, park and draw/paint/photograph, etc!

We recently held an event at Trico Plant 1. See some of the great artwork and event photos below. To learn more about the preservation issues surrounding this daylight factory style building, see
https://www.facebook.com/groups/203056219787921/?ref=ts&fref=ts

A very serious young artist.
His completed work is hanging at the Jung Center with our Painting for Preservation group show

Making art on our city streets

Bernie Smith just starting out

Photograph by Steve Siegel

The beginning of George Gilham's painting -- it turned quite abstract!

Trico by Kaitlyn Gilham

Photograph by Steve Siegel (with Nancy Siegel)

Looking down Ellicott Street (or the view from Trico) by Bernice Smith

Drawing by Dana Saylor

Trico Entrance by Michael Killelea

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

36-50 E. Utica Street: A wonderful morning

The most recent art-in at 36-50 E. Utica Street exemplifies everything that P4P strives to do. We were so fortunate that during the time we were there; the Utica Heights Block Club was also conducting a Spring Clean-Up and a community social hour. We had the pleasure of meeting many local residents and hearing about their efforts to enhance the neighborhood. Their vision for their community is really inspiring. We had beautiful light, and so many artists made beautiful work -- we were taken in by the energy of the place. We were joined by 4 young artists, always one of the things I love most about art-ins!

Here it is in pictures! A list of the participating artists is located below.
Thanks to Steve Siegel for the photograhs!

Linda Ludwig

Jean Coffin

Carol Siracuse

Michelle Schroeder

Tim Raymond

Carol Siracuse

Artists included: Carol Siracuse, Dana Saylor, Michelle Schroeder, Abby Schroeder, Steve Siegel, Tim Raymond, Jennifer Fendya, Pat Pendleton, Bernice Smith, Linda Ludwig, Jean Coffin, Mickey Harmon, Michael Mulley, Craig Gawlak, Christopher Byrd, Becky Harbison, Kathy Schifano, Sara M. Zak