This Friday, September 25th from  6-8 pm, students from the Buffalo Academy of Visual & Performing Arts will exhibit their artwork in our community gardens at 320 Northampton St. We are very excited to announce this neighborhood event for the whole family.  Students at nearby BAVPA will showcase a variety of artistic media ranging from spoken word poetry, dance, paintings, video and more!

The event is being coordinated by Mr. Jam Vafai, an instructor of Video and Media at BAVPA, who first met Buffalo ReUse Greenspace Coordinators during this summer’s BETC Youth Employment Program.  Mr. Vafai brought his group of videographer’s to Buffalo ReUse’s gardens to document the teens participating at their work sites.  Mr. Vafai was very excited about the neighborhood gardens even though they were still a work in progress; he and several students adopted one of the 4′ x 10′ raised beds in BR’s Patchwork Garden.

Mr. Vafai’s enthusiasm led to a conversation about celebrating the harvest and inviting the students to develop an art exhibition among the vegetable beds.  Word was spread among teachers and students, and now Friday promises to be an entertaining and exciting evening.  The Children’s Vinery is full of dangling plants, and the arbors will be lined with Christmas lights for a mystical, magical feeling. This summer, eight other neighbors adopted their own raised beds and have been growing vegetables like beans, squash, eggplant, onions, cabbage and tomatoes all summer. Hopefully, this event will draw more neighbors and encourage them to participate in next year’s growing season.

This event is free and open to the public. The students are very excited to display their paintings, their videos, and give performances. Please, stop by for some art and community!