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July 31, 2010

Blogs / Random Rants / Annual 2010 / Rose-colored spectacles: my 2009 top ten

Rose-colored spectacles: my 2009 top ten

Now that everyone is really, really bored with all the yearly round-ups, here’s mine. I used to do this with art exhibitions exclusively, but this time, I have chosen a series of local happenings that grabbed the local consciousness and made us feel great about living in Buffalo. With an art and gardening bias.

Garden Walk Buffalo 2009: This annual free tour of enchanting urban gardens has been a complete success since it started in 1995, but this year's edition had many out-of-town visitors and generated a significant amount of national press from publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, and—most recently and notably— the Atlantic.

Woy/Ubu: Only a small portion of WNY saw this ambitious collaborative production—a mash-up of Georg Buchner's Woyzeck, and Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi, created by UB’s Intermedia Performance Studio, Real Dream Cabaret, and the Canisius computer science department. I’m glad I got to it. It had everything that I most admire about the WNY arts scene—guts, invention, sophistication, and fun. On one side of the performance space, you could watch the more conventionally-staged and acted Woyzeck; on the other you could interact with the Ubu Roi performers. But it was way more than that because the two sides clashed and blended at all times—a real marvel of excellent acting, video, scenic projections, and glorious noise.

Curtain Up! 2009: I’ve never attended a play during Curtain Up! (sort of acted in one once), but the best part about this theater season kick-start is the scene it generates downtown. This time the Book Arts Center joined in with a really interesting opening, in addition to the usual participation by CEPA and Hallwalls. It’s an intelligent street party, and out-of-town visitors are always impressed. This year’s was one of the best.

Elmwood-Bidwell Farmer’s Market: It might not be the best farmers’ market in the region, price and selection-wise, but I adore the friendly vibe at this weekly gathering.

The Burchfield-Penney Art in Craft Media exhibition: Three-dimensional art seems to work best in the vast ground-level galleries of the new BPAC, the yearly craft show is generally excellent, and it has always been the most popular show BPAC does. Brilliant and appropriate to change the name. (See our review.)

Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940–1976: It wasn’t the first time that a nationally-touring art exhibition revolved around paintings owned by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and it won’t be the last. But this focused attention where it belongs—on the glorious collection of mid-century art that is the Knox’s primary claim to fame. Bonus: a tangential article mentioning the exhibition prompted this priceless exchange in the Buffalo News’s invariably idiotic comment section:

"Abstract expressionism" What a farce. If your ‘art’ looks like it was done by the elephant at the zoo for a bunch of bananas, it ain't art.”—Albert
“But Albert, if I cover your naked body with peanuts and let the elephants at the zoo stomp you to death that would be a performance piece—which is art by the way.”—MatthewJohnP

Extreme Makeover: Buffalo’s West Side: This is on everyone’s list. I agree with the praise and find the nit-picking irrelevant.

Re-Tree WNY: After participating in Re-Tree for the first time this year, I was impressed by the good will, generosity, and optimism that permeates this effort. I do worry about the easeway trees (planted in small wells, and insufficiently watered), but even if half live to maturity, it will be a great benefit. Planting trees that will be enjoyed by future generations is a refreshing antidote to the “what, me worry” attitude about our environmental future that is far too prevalent in the U.S.

The Avant: One of the dreariest buildings downtown is transformed into one of the most exciting, with the best views I’ve ever seen from any Buffalo building.

And finally, I have to celebrate our ability in WNY to hit all these high notes and more in spite of our dysfunctional and distasteful political class. That’s just how it is, but like many other American cities, we’ve found the work-arounds.