Experience the power of storytelling and the expressive nature of art at the upcoming multimedia exhibition, Tales from the Porch, Part IV: Art is a Language, presented at Buffalo Arts Studio by Aitina Fareed-Cooke. Building on the original project launched in 2019, this immersive exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate and amplify community voices through the creative arts.

Tales from the Porch, Part IV: Art is a Language is an exploration of visual, performing, and literary arts through a documentary film, multimedia arts exhibition, and live performance series. This year’s iteration focuses on artists with deep connections to Buffalo Arts Studio: Julia Bottoms, Bob Fleming, George Hughes, Phyllis Thompson, and Muhammad Zaman. 

Buffalo Arts Studio will present the multimedia exhibition portion of the Tales from the Porch IV: Art is a Language project, which will include artwork by Julia Bottoms, Bob Fleming, George Afedzi Hughes, Phyllis I. Thompson, and Muhammad Zaman as well as Fareed-Cooke’s photography and poetry. Together, the paintings, prints, poems, and photographs serve as a call and response, creating a conversation between artists and artforms. The exhibition will be on display July 26–September 7, 2024, with an opening reception on Friday, July 26, from 5:00–8:00 pm. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The documentary film featuring the artists will be screened later this fall.

Aitina Fareed-Cooke is a multi-hyphenate, Creative Arts Strategist, and Founder of Get Fokus’d Productions, an international award-winning media arts company. Recently appointed as Buffalo's Poet Laureate, Fareed-Cooke aims to amplify the importance of the creative arts, emphasizing unity, healing, and economic stability.

For more information about Buffalo Arts Studio, please visit www.buffaloartsstudio.org