Buffalo AKG announces 'Art Alive'

Buffalo AKG press release

The Buffalo AKG announced this year’s “Art Alive” celebration, the event’s 30th anniversary, will take place from2-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, on the museum’s Great Lawn.

Submissions are open from June 22 through Sept. 10 and can be made here.

“Art Alive” invites participants to bring works of art to life through creative, living recreations of works from the AKG’s collection and public art initiative. These striking interpretations – known as tableaux – use people, costumes, props and imagination to transform artwork into a three-dimensional experience. The competition is open to everyone, including students, families, community groups, organizations and individual participants.

To mark this milestone anniversary, AKG is introducing a new category: edible art. Professional pastry chefs, bakers and dessert artists are invited to recreate a work of art using cake, cupcakes, cookies or other edible mediums. Guests will vote for their favorite visual design, while a panel of judges will award prizes for taste and execution.

This year’s celebration shines a spotlight on the Buffalo AKG itself. Participants are encouraged to explore the museum’s collection and public art initiative for inspiration, offering fresh perspectives on the artworks that make the institution unique.

More than $4,000 in prizes will be awarded to the creators of the winning tableaux and edible art entries. Throughout the event, guests will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite tableaux and edible art creations, while a panel of local judges will select Best in Show winners in both categories.

Awards and prizes will be presented across the following categories: Best in K-8, Best in 9-12, Best in Individuals (17 and under), Best in Individuals (18-plus), Best in Households/Groups, Best Tableaux and Best Edible Art.

More about the Buffalo AKG Art Museum: Founded in 1862, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum is the sixth-oldest public art institution in the U.S. For more than 160 years, the Buffalo AKG has collected, conserved and exhibited the art of its time, often working directly with living artists. This tradition has given rise to one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of modern and contemporary art.

In June 2023, following the completion of the most significant campus development and expansion project in its history, the Buffalo AKG opened anew to the public. The project was funded by a $230 million capital campaign, the largest such campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York, including $195 million raised for construction and $35 million in additional operating endowment funds.