Scene from 'Olympus Manger' to Open in Art Gallery

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Chicago-based artist Kelly Kaczynski (pronounced Ka-zin-ski) debuts her installation, Scene from 'Olympus Manger,' with an opening reception in the University at Buffalo Art Gallery, Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus, from 5:30-8 p.m. on, March 23. An exhibition walkthrough with the artist and curator Sandra Firmin will begin at 5 p.m.

UB Art Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Thursday until 7 p.m. For information, call 645-6912. The installation, which is free and open to the public, will be on view through May 13.

Kaczynski's sculptures consider the use of scale, the built landscape and the body. Scene from 'Olympus Manger' features a life-size stage. A peek below the stage reveals common building materials that coalesce into suggestions of expansive and enclosed landscapes. Her use of construction materials draws attention to the question of public access in society. This sculptural construction zone is open to study, rather than off-limits.

Kaczynski received her master of fine arts from Bard College in New York and her bachelor's degree from Evergreen State College in Washington. Her installation, air is air and thing is thing, was shown recently at Triple Candie in New York. Public installations include projects with the Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa., the Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston, and the Boston National Historic Parks. Kaczynski has held a number of teaching positions and is currently a member of the visiting faculty at Northwestern University in Illinois. 

The UB Art Gallery is funded by the UB College of Arts and Sciences, the Visual Arts Building Fund, the Seymour H. Knox Foundation Fine Arts Fund and the Fine Arts Center Endowment.