I was born in Buffalo, NY. My family, my life, and my career as an artist are centered here. I began my childhood discovery of drawing and painting in this city. It’s a journey that has taken me across the United States and around the world, always returning home.
The blending of my dedication to Buffalo and my art career has inspired me to put together a collaborative exhibition beyond the traditional display of paint-layered canvases. Working with the Burchfield Penney Art Center, I am undertaking my first major retrospective art exhibition with a localized and educational focus.
LEROI: Living in Color will open at The Burchfield Penney Art Center on Friday. November 11, 2022 and run through March 26, 2023. It will feature my artwork along with a collection of interpretive multimedia compositions of my work, created by student participants in youth programs at the Buffalo Center for Art and Technology, the Buffalo Public Schools, Just Buffalo Literary Center, and Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Art Center.
My goal is to energize the next generation of artists into active participants by giving them the ability to shape this exhibition, through the reflective lens of their own life experiences and artistic interests. Further, to provide these students with the opportunity and encouragement to explore a career in the arts
I believe that this unique project can transform the ways people think about exhibitions relative to collaboration, and interactive involvement with the youth of our community, amplifying the agency of the viewer to “color” their own meaning and life connections through art.
These blogs leading up to the November 11th opening will serve as my diary of the planning and execution of this exhibition. Please join me for this view inside my “Living in Color” world.
LEROI: Living in Color Exhibition includes the work of students from Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT,) Buffalo Public Schools (BPS,) Just Buffalo Literary Center (JBLC,) and Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center. The exhibition will be on view at the Burchfield Penney Art Center through March 26, 2023, presented by M&T Bank, with additional support from organizations and individuals throughout the Western New York community.