Celebrating the Public Art Initiative: Buffalo Akg Art Museum

A celebration of the Public Art Initiative at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, a unique initiative in the museum landscape of North America.

This initiative launched in 2013 as the Buffalo AKG (then the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) became the first and only museum in North America to act as a producer of art for shared civic (non-museum) public spaces. The results over the past 10 years have been wide-ranging, including more than 60 installations, interventions, collaborations, and commissions with more than 80 artists to date. These dynamic installations are now among the most recognizable elements of the landscape of the Western New York region.

In this expansive and lavishly illustrated volume, curator of Public Art Aaron Ott and long-time project coordinators Zack Boehler and Eric Jones offer their insights on critical moments in the initiative’s development, crucial interactions with community collaborators, and the various means by which the initiative supports artists to realize their works. An introduction by Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director Janne Sirén provides additional context about the genesis of the initiative, which relates to his experiences stewarding a public art program in Helsinki, Finland.

As the Buffalo AKG Art Museum continues to be a ground-breaking leader in the production of a wide range of public works over vast geographies and communities, this book reflects on the most significant works during that period. Each project over the course of the initiative’s 10-year existence is included in the book, making use of the incredible archive of photographic documentation the museum has undertaken. In addition, a dozen participating artists offer their own reflections, personal insights, and memories about their work with the Buffalo AKG.

Zack Boehler is Public Art project coordinator, Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

Eric Jones is Public Art project coordinator, Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

Aaron Ott is curator of Public Art, Buffalo AKG Art Museum.