Thanks to the resounding success of the expanded biennial exhibition Beyond/In Western New York 2005, 13 visual arts institutions in WNY will again join forces for the 2007 presentation of this ambitious project. The new format has reenergized this long-standing exhibition, originally conceived by the Albright-Knox in 1977 as the invitational, In Western New York. It is open to both emerging and established artists in the eastern Great Lakes region. Submissions are due by June 1, 2006.
Beyond/In Western New York 2007 is again extending the geographical parameters outside of In Western New York’s original scope to encompass multi-points North, South, East and West by showcasing artists from Central New York (west to Utica), Southern Ontario (to Toronto and London area), Northeastern Ohio (to Cleveland), and Northwestern Pennsylvania (Erie region).
Artists working in all media--film, installation, multi media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video--are encouraged to submit examples of their work.
In praise of Beyond/In Western New York 2005, Buffalo News art critic Richard Huntington wrote that it was "...an extraordinary cultural idea...indeed a serious look, and wildly ambitious. The exhibition bites off so much that it has the very real possibility of bringing the region to the attention of critics, commentators, curators, and other artists in the participating cities, if not beyond."
In her review for Canada’s national newspaper The Globe and Mail, Toronto based art critic Sarah Milroy wrote, "One thing is immediately clear; here, in this new environment, collaboration is the name of the game. Art people in Buffalo work well together, creating in this instance, a multivoiced extravaganza that explores the region and expands its sense of place." In the 2005 exhibition, Ontario was particularly well represented with 17 artists from Toronto and Southern Ontario.
Due to the magnitude of this project, the selection process is a lengthy one. A committee of curators representing each of the participating institutions will review all submissions. After an initial review, studio visits will be made to determine the final group of participants. Last year out of 85 studio visits, 58 artists were selected. Once selections have been made, the committee will choose the appropriate exhibition site for each artist's work.
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Big Orbit Gallery, Buffalo Arts Studio, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Carnegie Art Center, Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University, CEPA Gallery, El Museo Francisco Oller Y Diego Rivera, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Langston Hughes Institute, Squeaky Wheel, University at Buffalo (UB) Art Gallery, and UB Anderson Gallery will be both co-organizers and co-curators.
"It was extremely gratifying to collaborate so successfully with so many exceptional local arts organizations and their professional staffs on the first Beyond /In Western New York exhibition," said Albright-Knox Art Gallery Director Louis Grachos. "This time we are hoping to expand the project even further by increasing the number of submissions from artists outside of Western New York."
Beyond/In Western New York 2007 will premiere at all 13 venues during a single weekend of openings in September 2007.
Download submission information at http://www.burchfield-penney.org/pdf/BIWNY07_guidelines.pdf.