10 X 5: 50 Years of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, 1975–2025
Opening September 20, 2024
Buffalo, New York
Founded in December 1974, Hallwalls began as a vibrant hub for contemporary art in Buffalo. Since 1975, it has hosted over 6,500 events, featuring more than 8,000 artists across visual arts, music, film, and more. This exhibition will showcase Hallwalls’ impact on the art world over five decades, highlighting its role in launching significant movements like The Pictures Generation and its ongoing influence in contemporary culture.
“Hallwalls per se was actually founded just before Christmas of 1974, on December 18th, when renowned minimalist and light artist Robert Irwin, having been invited by young co-founders Charlie Clough and Robert Longo (a scant one generation younger than Irwin himself), visited Buffalo in person to talk about his work and artistic ideas to them and the small group of their fellow artist and art-student friends living, working, and gathering at 30 Essex Street. That address was an already-established complex of artists’ studios on Buffalo’s West Side founded by sculptor Larry Griffis and his family at what had historically been a warehouse for storing and delivering ice harvested from Lake Erie for use in home iceboxes.
“In January 1975, an astonishingly full schedule ensued of visual art exhibitions by artists aspiring and already famous, local and visiting, more artists’ talks, performances, concerts, film screenings, literary readings, and (always) parties. In the first couple of months of 1975 these events (except the parties) took place at cooperating outside venues such as various spaces at Buff State and UB’s Gallery 219, eventually shifting to 30 Essex Street itself as early as the end of February. And that hectic pace of eclectic, cutting-edge programming in all these disciplines has never stopped.
“In the 50 years since, spanning part or all of six decades, through three major relocations (700 Main Street in 1980, Tri-Main Center in 1994, and the former Asbury Delaware Methodist Church back downtown on Delaware Avenue in 2006), Hallwalls has presented over 6,500 events and exhibitions featuring the work of over 8,000 artists, musicians, other performing artists, filmmakers, media artists, and writers. Hallwalls has never stopped being a hotbed of contemporary cultural activity for our local community and a major influence on the art world nationally and internationally.
“This historical exhibition will include objects, artifacts, publications, photographs, videos, and archival documents showcasing all periods of Hallwalls’ history, not only the celebrated first five years—recognized in the annals of art history as instrumental in launching the last important American art movement of the 20th century, The Pictures Generation—but all the five-year periods since, focusing on representative significant programming, artworld activism, artists, and curatorial contributions of each period, in visual art, video art, performance art, music, and writing.”
~ Edmund Cardoni, Executive Director