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Ouch. It’s been a tough year in Buffalo, what with the whole Albright-Knox debate and the trouble at Studio Arena—both covered in painful detail in the pages of this publication—yet the arts are still thriving in both the established and grassroots arenas. Theater is a hot topic once more (read Tony Chase’s articles in this and last week’s issue of Artvoice), and “deaccession” is a term people are actually using. The city has seen impressive mixed-media shows in the past year, like the extravagant, multi-gallery Beyond/In Western New York, which showcased local artists, and traveling exhibitions like Jennifer Steinkamp’s new media showcase currently on view at the Albright. Cool stuff. Cutting edge. But the votes reflect a loyalty to the tried and true as well as the new and unknown. We see the same veteran artists on the list each year, but in the realm of spoken word and “genre-defying” performers, and in film and video arts, well…it’s a whole new world—or city—out there.
—k. o’day
Best Actor Paul Todaro Vincent O’Neill Christian Brandjes Louis Colaiacovo Marc Sacco Best Actress Lisa Ludwig Leah Russo Mary Kate O’Connell Lorraine O’Donnell Josephine Hogan Best Cinema North Park Market Arcade Amherst Regal Elmwood Shea’s Best Cultural Asset Albright-Knox Art Gallery Shea’s BPO UB Center for the Arts Hallwalls Best Dance Company Configuration Dance Zodiaque Dance Buffalo Contemporary Dance Rince na Tiarna Lehrer Dance Best Dancer Aaron Piepszny Fiona Dargan Amy Taravella Michelle Gigante Joe Cipolla Best Genre-defying artist Aaron Piepszny Soundpainiting Ensemble Mark Freeland (in memoriam) Chris Stangler Kendall Kelly Best New Arts/Performance Space ALT Theatre New Burchfield-Penney Artspace Guerilla Gallery Babeville Best Painter AJ Fries Greg Sobczak Brezo Mary Begley Rob Lynch Best Photographer Jim Bush Mark Dellas Bob Mussell Jim Breidenstein Ron Douglas Best Playwright Jon Elston Manny Fried Gary Earl Ross Annette Daniels Taylor Matthew LaChiusa Gary Earl Moss (Best Writer Nominee) Best Spoken Word Venue/Series Allen Street Hardware EM Tea Coffee Cup Cafe Rust Belt Books The Screening Room Nickel City Poetry Slam Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist Celia White Pat Cain Matthew Baker Thompson Verneice Turner Liz Mariani |
Lisa Ludwig (Best Actress Nominee) Best Sculptor David Derner Eric Kanner Brett Coppins Rodney Taylor Julie Silver Best Small Art Gallery CEPA Big Orbit Guerilla Gallery College Street Gallery Halwalls Best Supporter of the Arts M&T Bank Ani DiFranco Artvoice Robby Takac Oshei Foundation Aaron Piepszny (Best Dancer Nominee) Best Theater Company Irish Classical Buffalo United Artists Theatre of Youth Kavinoky Studio Arena Best Theater Production To Kill a Mockingbird Bat Boy Servant of Two Masters Twelve Angry Men Axeman’s Jazz Best Video or Film Artist Brian Milbrand Jax Deluca Marc Odien Richard Wicka Andrew Michalski Best Writer Gary Earl Moss Robert E. Wilczak Jon Elston Mark Goldman Ron Ehmke |
Issue Navigation> Issue Index > v7n15: Best of Buffalo 2008 (4/10/08) > Best of Buffalo 2008 > Arts & Letters This Week's Issue • Artvoice Daily • Artvoice TV • Events Calendar • Classifieds |