Episode 13: John Massier

The following conversation took place on January 21st at Dôme Art Gallery at The Birge Mansion.  We welcomed Buffalo AKG curator of Public Art, Aaron Ott to sit down and talk with Ani Hoover, our current exhibiting artist.  Long time friends, they had an insightful and in-depth conversation about Ani’s exhibition Blooming Onion, her art making practice over the years and  what it means to be create.

In todays episode, Brooke talks to Buffalo, NY artist William C. Maggio. He is a visual artist, classically trained pianist and art educator whose work is known for its heavily textured, layered, scarred & sculptural surfaces which incur metaphoric associations and meditative-state. Maggio's work has been shown extensively in domestic and international exhibitions over a 50 year period & included in many private and corporate collections. His new show, Time Indefinite, will be on display in The Gallery @ 1120 Main St until Jan. 3rd 2026.

Host Brooke Leboeuf talks with artist Melora Griffis. Griffis created a new body of work that relates to her perceptions of the city of Buffalo, both from the perspective of her childhood and now as an adult.  There is a strong focus on architecture as it relates so much to both her memories and the persona of the city itself. The body of work is currently on view at The Birge Mansion, until May 15, 2025.

In this Episode, Brooke talks with internationally renowned artist Pam Glick.  Glick's abstractions, with their signature, repeating loops were recently described by Artforum's Andrew Hunt as "no-holds-barred acts of endurance, a performance that lends the works a life-affirming dynamism and verve." The conversation delves into the development of abstraction throughout Pam's career, as well as her connection to Buffalo as a significant influence on much of her work.

Join us for a conversation with legendary curator, John Masssier. John, an integral part of Buffalo's visual arts scene for over twenty years, talks with The Art Dome about how our city's art scene has evolved, the new AKG expansion and the state of arts writing. We even delve into the culinary world as John comprares art appreciation to food appreciation, in an attempt to demystify the art viewing process. And the phrase "cultural charcuterie" is used (perhaps for the very first time!) to describe Buffalo's expansive selection of visual arts offerings.

Artist Joan Linder is known of late for highly detailed pen and ink drawings of interior space, mundane objects, wild flowers and more. Yet her latest show at Rivalry Projects (on view through February 23) showws some of Joan's earlier paintings; highly realistic oil paintings of male bellies. Join host Brooke Leboeuf as she talks with Joan, Owner and Founder of Rivalry Projects, Ryan Arthurs and Director of Rivalry Projects, Liv McManus about what inspired Joan to paint these images. They are as relevant today as they were twenty years ago, maybe even more so and the conversation addresses gender politics, body image, the male vs female gaze, as well as the place of figurative art in today's art market. For more information visit, www. rivalryprojects.com

The Art Dome is thrilled to kick off its second season with the renowned Amy Cappallazzo. We will be talking about her recent trip to Buffalo, involvement and impressions of the AKG expansion and recent art market news and trends.

Join us for a conversation with artist Julia Bottoms and curator Tiffany Gaines about Julia’s new solo exhibition at the Burchfield Penney Arts Center. A Light Under the Bushel: Paintings by Julia Bottoms, on view through October 29th. A Light Under the Bushel features portraiture from a new series, building upon the artist’s interest in expanding narratives around representations of Blackness. Thinking through historic periods in which portraits were commissioned for figured of prominence. Bottoms’ practice interrogates portraiture as a concept of record. The inclusion – or lack thereof – a Black and Brown bodies in classical portraiture has inspired a new series and conceptual direction in her work.

Join us in conversation with Dr. Gerald Mead, curator, educator and renowned collector of over 1,700 works by artists that have lived in the Western New York region and Michael J. Beam, Curator of Exhibitions & Special Projects for the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. We discuss, among other things, Jerry’s extraordinary collection and extensive knowledge of the region’s art scene, both past and present, and its importance to the community.

Patti Thomas began her career as an artist just over two years ago under the pseudonym “The Ghost.” She decided to use “The Ghost” so as not to let her renown as wife of Buffalo Bills hall of famer Thurman Thomas influence people’s view of her work. Patti describes her work as a “fantastical commentary on real-life situations and characters, rooted in random, whimsical, social, and often comical events, thoughts and situations.”  She has since become a sought after contemporary artist both regionally and nationally and continues to be an influential member of our Western New York Community. Listen to how Patti came about this new career path and what it has meant to her.