Buffalo Religious Arts Center News

Check out the article on page 8 of the current issue! May 2010, Volume 5 Issue 5

We’ve posted the new tours for our 2010 season, as well as many special events throughout the upcoming year. Be sure to check them out under our Visit Us link!

Be sure to check out these tours and upcoming events:

Buffalo Religious Arts Center Docent-Led Tours
Come see the beautiful Romanesque St. Francis Xavier Church as it undergoes its transformation into Xavier Hall, the new home of the Buffalo Religious Arts Center. Learn the history of this uniquely American bascillica-styled landmark of Black Rock, and see the growing collection of the Religious Arts Center, including items from St. Mary’s of Sorrows, Queen of Peace, Temple Beth El, and icons from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Stained Glass Windows in Buffalo
Co-Sponsored by Buffalo Religious Arts Center and Buffalo Tours. See our Tours page for details.
These 2-hour walking tours average 45 minutes per building, with a 15-minute walk between buildings, and a 15-minute walk returning to the starting point. Tours include information on buildings’ designer and fabricator, buildings’ content and iconography, and the style and fabrication techniques of the buildings.

Buffalo’s First Lady: Frances Folsom Cleveland
Learn the history of First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland, born on Edward Street in Buffalo.
May 29-30, 2010

Hutchinson Family Revival Reenactors
Our country’s history mirrored in 19th Century music performed by the Hutchinson Family Revival.
June 5, 2010

Fashion Show: Antique Clothes Modeled by Historic Characters
See clothing styles from the 1860-1960, each modeled by a famous lady from the period.
July 17, 2010

Holiday Churches Bus Tours
Coming in December – all new churches for 2010! Visit the lush interiors of Delaware Avenue Baptist Church, St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church, St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy, and the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. This six hour, guided tour includes transportation, entry into each church, admission to the Buffalo Religious Arts Center, lunch at Chef’s, and a special organ recital at Xavier Hall. Reservations Required.

We’ve recently done a complete website makeover and are excited to put it to use during our new 2010 season!  Let us know what you think, and we look forward to seeing you all this Spring!

We were recently featured in the Plain Dealer (based in Cleveland, OH).  Check out the article here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2010/02/museum_in_closed_catholic_chur.html

by William Koch

The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is pleased to announce that the former St. Francis Xavier Church, Rectory and School have been added to the National Historic Register as of August 20th, 2009.

This National Historic Register recognition highlights not only the architectural significance of the complex, but also its importance to the history of Buffalo.  All three buildings on the St. Francis Xavier Complex were included in the designation.

The parish of St. Francis Xavier dates from the 1850’s, but the oldest structure is the sturdy three story school built in 1894.

The Romanesque Basilica style church, designed by Max Beierl of the locally prominent firm Lansing and Beierl, was completed in 1913 and contains stunning murals by Benedictine Monk Fr. Raphael Pfisterer and unique stained glass windows by F.X. Zettler. These windows were made in Munich, Germany.

St. Francis Xavier Church closed as a parish in 2007. Since then the Buffalo Religious Arts Center has been caring for the maintenance and preservation of these three buildings.
The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

When we started our internship program, our goals were simple: receive high quality assistance with our tough projects, and hopefully provide different kind of learning experience for the students. Receiving an award for our program was never a thought.

But that’s just what happened last week, when the Buffalo Religious Arts Center was named the Outstanding Non-Profit Internship Site for 2009 by the UB School of Management. It was a surprising honor, but a great testament to our wonderful interns, who have done marketing research, started our accounting books, and putting us on FaceBook, among many other projects.

Thank you to Carrie Gardner, the Director of the program, for this recognition. With the help of our interns, volunteers, members, and friends, the Religious Arts Center is growing every day.

The Christmas season may be over for another year, but at the Buffalo Religious Arts Center, we are still proud to show off some newly acquired items with a Christmas theme.

The parish of Blessed Trinity Church has generously donated the full nativity set from the former Saint Gerard’s Church, a parish it merged with in 2008. The complete set, which includes over two dozen pieces, is of great cultural and historic value to the people of Buffalo.

Saint Gerard’s Church was founded in 1911, and is a one-third reproduction of St. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls in Rome. While this nativity set was not present from the beginning, it is an important part of religious activity for a large portion of St. Gerard’s history, and the Buffalo Religious Arts Center is proud to be its new home.

The Religious Arts Center is now home to a variety of pieces, great and small, high art and cultural touchstones, and all of historic value that tell the story of the faithful in Western New York. Check back soon for more information on future tours.

by Brian Castner

Today’s art focus is on this small side altar, which hasn’t been on display or available for viewing by to the public before now.

A product of the D’Arcangelo Studios, an old Buffalo studio of catholic and religious art, this altar was created in the early 1920’s. It was a special order for a priest who died before it was completed. The new priest at the church did not wish to take receipt for it, so it stayed at the D’Arcangelo Studios forseventy years.

Our anonymous donor, a friend of the D’Arcangelo family, watched over it for the last ten years, before generously donating it in memory of the D’Arcangelo family and descendants.

The D’Arcangelo Studio produced religious art for churches all over Buffalo, including statues, frescoes, murals and altars. For example, the two large murals under the choir loft at Saint Ann’s Church and Shrine, on Broadway, are the work of D’Arcangelo. This altar, of Baroque style and featuring angels and the dove representing the Holy Spirit, is an important page in the history of religious art in Buffalo, as it represents a studio with a great history of work in Buffalo’s churches.

by Brian Castner

The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is pleased to announce that it now owns the Saint Francis Xavier Complex, located at East and Amherst Streets in Black Rock. Included in the purchase is the Roman Basillica style church built in 1913, the 27,000 square foot school, and the Parish House. An anonymous donor provided funds for the entire purchase cost.

The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is converting the church into Xavier Hall, the first gallery dedicated to religious art in the United States housed in a former church. It will concentrate on the heritage and history of Buffalo, as told by the religious art created by its immigrants. Not affiliated with any specific denomination, the Buffalo Religious Arts Center seeks to display art of all faith traditions.

“This gallery is not just for the faithful, though the deep faith embodied in these works is apparent to all,” said Brian Castner, Executive Director. “If you love art, if you love architecture, if you just love Buffalo and its history, there is something for you at the Religious Arts Center.”

by William Koch

Recently the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation officially recognized the significant role St. Francis Xavier Church, School and Rectory have played in the Black Rock community by placing the three structures on the State Register of Historic Sites.
Daniel McEneny, Historic Preservation Program Specialist for the New York State Historic Preservation Office stated that the former St. Francis Xavier Church was enthusiastically accepted by the New York State review board and will be forwarded to the National Parks Service in the coming weeks.

Shortly after closing, the church complex took on a new life as the center piece of the Buffalo Religious Arts Center. The goal of the arts group is to display works of art from closed Buffalo churches and to raise the awareness of the significant religious heritage of our community through displays, tours of the community’s houses of worship and many other events.