Several artists have been busy installing their work at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in preparation for this Friday’s opening of the biennial, city-wide exhibition Beyond/In Western New York 2007. Ambiguous sculptures by Alfonso Volo, 400 small drawings by Simone Mantellassi and an outdoor piece by sculptor Shayne Dark have been installed in different areas, and these are just three among the 14 artists whose work will be displayed at the Albright-Knox alone: When the entirety of Beyond/In Western New York is unveiled (during the weekend of September 14-16) there will be over 50 artists’ work on view at a dozen galleries. The exhibition features artists from all over Western New York and southern Ontario—and includes two artists from Ohio—working in various media from traditional painting and drawing to multi-media and performance art. This weekend’s opening coincides with the Albright’s weekly Gusto at the Gallery event. A curator’s tour of Beyond/In Western New York will be conducted by Claire Schneider, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, at 6pm. There will be art activities for kids from 5-7pm, a screening of Sydney Pollack’s 1985 film Out of Africa at 7pm and a performance by the bluegrass band Creekbend—with square dancing, too—from 7-10pm. For information on the artists, or about the grand opening weekend in September, visit http://www.beyondinwny.org.

Friday, August 17 from 5-10pm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Avenue

(882-8700, albrightknox.org). Free