Maybe my favorite show ever at the Buffalo AKG is the current show, Marisol: A Retrospective.
Many people are not aware that Marisol, a brilliant, spirited, innovative artist, left her entire estate to the museum.
Walking into the Director’s office in 2016 for our weekly check-in meeting, news of this gift was likely the last thing I would have guessed would be on the agenda. I had never contemplated what it would mean for anyone, let alone the AKG with its multitude of priorities, to be the stewards of an artist’s legacy. The question before me was – should the museum accept the gift with the enormous amount of work and responsibility it would entail?
Needless to say, we said absolutely to the bequest, and experiencing the show, learning about Marisol over the past eight years, bit by bit as the works and archives were unwrapped (literally) have been an incredibly unique part of my journey with the museum.
What do I love so much about Marisol? Her whimsical, yet loaded with serious meaning, sculptures; her use of her face and body in her artwork; Dinner Date, that challenges the observer to experience what it felt like for women time to dine without a man in the 1960’s; her bravery in taking a stance – through her artwork, her decisions as to where to live and work and her decision to stay silent at times.
As I have learned from AKG Curator, Cathleen Chaffee, she once conducted an entire interview in silence. Imagine that strength and determination! And her prescient commentary on society that we all need to talk less and listen more.
Meanwhile, as a museum is an obvious platform for artists, I have also been developing an initiative, Momentum Project, with Delaware North. Our goal is to provide a platform for artists to illuminate aspects of our community through unique partnerships. The Buffalo Bills with artist Bianca McGraw and FeedmoreWNY with artist Iris Kirkwood were highlighted the first two years of the Project. Stay tuned for the next installment in Spring 2025.
And if you are in Buffalo, grab a cocktail at PATINA 250 and check out the art recently installed at Patina 250 as part of our new Imprint Collection. Again, spotlighting and supporting artists from our region, where I find an abundance of creativity and talent.
Philanthropy is not always about the obvious or the big gesture. It can be about supporting an ecosystem through avenues that match your passion.
With gratitude to Marisol, whose philanthropy will forever impact the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, and who knows, maybe one day one of the artists whose artistic journey I’ve supported will be giving their estate to a museum.
Visit Marisol: A Retrospective at Buffalo AKG Museum until January 5, 2025. If you don’t make it in time, head to Texas and the Dallas Museum of Art, February 23 – July 6, 2025.
Stop into PATINA 250 for some great food, drink, and art at 250 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York.
Portrait of Marisol, December 1976
