Letter from the Director
Spring / Summer 2007

As our Niagara University community completes its spring semester with a flourish of commencement and 150th anniversary celebrations, the Castellani Art Museum looks forward to an exciting roster of exhibitions and programs. Like the bunny, we just keep on going!
Join us for the last First Friday of the season on May 4, with special music by Tenacious 3 and the opening of TopSpin artist Robert Lynch’s exhibition. This summer we celebrate our Folk Arts Program’s fifteenth anniversary with a special photography exhibition drawn from its permanent collection. Supported by the New York State Council on the Arts as a regional center for traditional arts, the program has also been awarded  funds from the National Endowment from the Arts and the New York State Council on the Humanities. At the satellite gallery in Niagara Falls, we will begin a series of thematic exhibitions selected from the recently acquired Charles Rand Penney Collection of 833 historic prints. Finally, on view in our FREEDOM CROSSING gallery is a contemporary work by Alison Saar, a nationally known artist who investigates issues of slavery and its impact on society. Educational programs at the CAM only get better and better. Plans are in the works for a family orientation gallery that will feature works from the permanent collection that offer the best understanding and hands-on activities revolving around contemporary art, which is at the core of our mission. Our Saturday family workshops (ART EXPRESS) continue throughout the month of May, and, for four weeks in July and August, the museum partners with NU’s theatre department to produce the ever popular kids ‘n arts summer camp. Summer is a great time to visit museums with your vacationing guests. There’s plenty of parking; lots of art on view; memories to take away; and new items in the museum shop all the time!

Laurene Buckley, Ph.D., Director