Visual Arts • Media Arts • Music

Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center was founded in a West Side icehouse in 1974 by a group of young artists (including Charles Clough, Nancy Dwyer, Robert Longo and Cindy Sherman) as a place where artists could develop new work and where the work of contemporary artists working in all media could be exhibited.

Over the past three decades, Hallwalls has evolved into the region’s largest multi-disciplinary arts center, one of the most active and programmatically diverse members of the national network of artists’ organizations. Hallwalls visual arts, video, film, performance, music, and literature programs have presented the work of over 7,000 artists from around the world. In 1996, Hallwalls published Consider the Alternatives, a 280 page book exploring Hallwalls’ history through the eyes of artists, staff, and audience members.

From the beginning, Hallwalls has presented the work of emerging and under-represented artists in Western New York and throughout the United States and Canada, with an emphasis on supporting experimentation and new projects. Hallwalls is equally committed to presenting the work of nationally recognized artists who have not had the opportunity to present their work to Buffalo-area audiences. While the scope of Hallwalls programming is international, many of its services are tailored to meet the particular needs of artists in Western New York.

Hallwalls is a member of the National Association of Artists Organizations (NAAO) and the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC).