This exhibition, also referred to as the first Local Salon, was the first comprehensive survey of contemporary artists working in Buffalo. Its goal was to bring the work of these artists, many of them already nationally and internationally known, to the attention of their neighbors in the region. In doing so, the exhibition aimed to foster a greater appreciation for artists in the city and prevent their leaving for more established cultural capitals like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. “The Academy hopes that the time is now favorable for a decided change,” Director Cornelia Benton Sage wrote in the exhibition’s catalogue, “and that an understanding is firmly established in the minds of our fellow-townsmen that the retaining of those to whom we are indebted for a genuine and unselfish desire and effort to make our city better than they found it is most necessary and beneficial to our civic life.”

About The Western New York Exhibitions

The Western New York exhibitions acknowledge the breadth of talent in the art community of Western New York and reflect the Albright-Knox’s ongoing commitment to support the creative endeavors of these artists. Begun in 1934, the Western New York exhibitions bring together notable works of art in the region and provide a wider field of appreciation for area artists.

Painting, sculpture, prints, and works on paper have traditionally been included, with a category of photography added in 1951 and video and film in 1984. Since 1977, the Western New York exhibitions have alternated with In Western New York and Beyond/In Western New York, invitational exhibitions with selections made by the museum’s curators.