For the past fifty years, the AKG has partnered with organizations across Western New York to empower individuals with disabilities through art. Made at the Museum celebrates this commitment not only with works created by our current Community Access Program and Art Today but also with archival materials that tell the story of the origins of accessible programs at the museum.
Made at the Museum
Friday, June 6, 2025–Monday, October 20, 2025
Melissa Gould, Art Today. Untitled, 2024. Wet-felted textile. 10 ½ x 12 inches (26.7 x 30.5 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Brenda Bieger, Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
Seymour H. Knox Building
M&T Bank Gallery
Made at the Museum assembles a vibrant collection of art created here—by participants in the Buffalo AKG Art Museum’s accessibility programs.
In the past year alone, dozens of artists across twelve organizations have taken part in these programs, resulting in hundreds of new works. With nearly 400 pieces—ranging from contour drawings and felted landscapes to block-printed flags and imaginative animal sculptures—this exhibition aims to demonstrate the breadth of creativity that radiates in these spaces.
Participating artist organizations: Amherst Central School District, Beyond Support Network, Buffalo Psychiatric Center, Buffalo Public School District, Clarence Central School District, Frontier Central School District, People Inc., Starlight Studio and Art Gallery, The Arc Erie County New York, The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, the Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Venture Forthe.
Radshawn Cottom, Starlight Studio and Art Gallery. Untitled, 2024. Acrylic on canvas. 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 76.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Brenda Bieger, Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Mathew Sharp, Starlight Studio and Art Gallery. It’s Raining Aliens and Monsters, 2024. Acrylic on canvas. 36 x 48 ½ inches (91.4 x 123.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Brienda Bieger, Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
Patient from the Buffalo Psychiatric Center. Untitled, 2024. Ceramic tile. 5 x 5 inches (12.7 x 12.7 cm). Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Brenda Bieger, Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
A Community Access Program session taking place in Studio B. Photo: Jeff Mace
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
A Community Access Program tour taking place in the Wilmers Building. Photo: Jeff Mace
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Participants in the Albright-Knox’s Matter at Hand program, 1973. Image courtesy of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
A Community Access Program session taking place in Studio B. Photo: Jeff Mace
The first access program and exhibition, Matter at Hand, was launched in 1973 to welcome people with low vision into a deeper engagement with art. Over the next several decades, the museum expanded accessibility efforts to meet wider needs of museum visitors. Since opening our new campus in 2023, the AKG relaunched the Community Access Program to encourage repeated visits, allowing for deeper engagement and lasting relationships.
Today, each organization participates in a six-week program that combines gallery visits, artmaking, and group discussions. Artists set individual goals, build their creative practices, and use the museum as both a site for inspiration and a space for building community.
This exhibition is curated by Karen Duval, Manager of Access & Studio Programs, and Charlie Garling, Delaware North Director of Learning & Creativity.
About the Organizations:
Sponsors
Made at the Museum is presented by M&T Bank.
The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of the Vogt Family Foundation.
Made at the Museum is presented by M&T Bank.
The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of the Vogt Family Foundation.