Between Sept. 9 and Sept. 20, Buffalo State’s Art and Design Department showcased a new exhibit in Upton Hall’s Margaret Eschner Bacon Gallery, titled “The Art of Rock and Roll: Homage to Music is Art.”

As the title suggests, the exhibit is a nod to Buffalo’s Music is Art festival, which is being held for its 22nd year at Terminal B, Lakeside Lawn, and Buffalo’s Outer Harbor on Saturday Sept. 21 from 11 A.M. to 11 P.M. Though the festival occurs after the exhibit’s showcase, the two are linked in their celebration of Buffalo’s music scene.

The exhibit showcased photographs taken by local Buffalo photographers bobCallignon, Eric Jensen, Curtis Kreutter, and Michael Mulley. Their work captures decades of the rock and roll music scene in Buffalo, with notable artists such as the Goo Goo Dolls, Alex Chilton, Farrow, and others prominently featured in the images.
Marie Bogner, the exhibit’s curator, provided additional context about the exhibit, sharing some key insights about its creation and connection to Music is Art.

Q1. What inspired the creation of this rock and roll photography exhibit?
Marie Bogner: Our Chair of Art & Design, Candace Masters, spearheaded this exhibition early on. She came up with the idea and, with the help of with our photography faculty member bobCollignon, reached out to local photographers to include their work in the show. Bob has been a big part of Buffalo photography for many years and has an amazing amount of work featuring the local music scene!

Q2. How does this exhibit relate to the Music is Art festival?
Marie Bogner: The Music is Art Festival was originally slated to take place on the Buffalo State University campus, so naturally the Art & Design Department became involved early on. When it was decided that the festival would instead be located at Buffalo’s Outer Harbor, we still wanted to host an exhibition and reception on our campus to celebrate and support the festival. Our department is also participating in the Music is Art Festival on September 21st; we will have tables with information about our programs as well as artistic demonstrations and fun interactive activities. Stop by Outer Harbor’s Lakeside Lawn area 11-4 this Saturday and look for a bright orange tent!

Q3. How do you think this exhibit will resonate with the students on campus?
Marie Bogner: This exhibition has a fun theme featuring some local rock and roll history. There is a cool photo by Michael Mulley of The Old Pink, an iconic venue in Allentown which recently burned down due to arson. One of the photographers in the show, Curtis Kreutter, is an alumnus of the Art & Design program at Buffalo State. Another one of the artists, bobCollignon, is a faculty member in our Photography program. He teaches and mentors our students each and every day.

On Sept. 19, the exhibit concluded with a closing ceremony, where students, faculty, and the photographers gathered to discuss and celebrate the artwork. Attendees enjoyed refreshments while reflecting on the decades of Buffalo’s music history captured in the photographs.

During the event, the photographers were asked to reflect on how their work aligns with the exhibit’s theme and its nod to Buffalo’s Music is Art festival. They shared insights into how music influences their photography, the impact of the artists they’ve worked with, and what they hope Buffalo State students will take away from the exhibit.

Q1. Since the exhibit is described as a nod to Buffalo’s “Music is Art” festival, are any of your photographs in this exhibit influenced by the idea that “music is art”?

Michael Mulley: Y’know, [my] pictures are a little blurry and they’re not perfect, they have a certain feel to them. When you see rock photography that has a giant flash, I’m not saying it isn’t a beautiful picture, because it is. But when you see people who are shooting it up with available light, all manual cameras like back in the day you know you get a lot of blurry pictures, and I feel like that kind of work, without a flash, using slow shutter speeds, whatever you can do to get your image. I feel like that makes it a little more evocative and emotive of an image.

bobCollignon: Absolutely. There was and still is a huge music scene. Throughout the late 70s and 80s, the art and music scene, a lot like the Bauhaus in Germany in the 20s and 30s, everybody was recording what they were doing and making music. It was very vibrant and so much fun being around that.

Eric Jensen: Yes of course. I mean, what else would music be?

Curtis Kreutter: Yeah absolutely. I feel like with the photos that I have (in the exhibit) are of Farrow, a very prominent band in Buffalo, and really try to connect a lot of art and poetry, and a lot of similar experiences through visual art and are bringing that into a musical format.

Q2. Have any of the artists you’ve photographed influenced your style or approach to photography?

Michael Mulley: I’d say I’m mostly inspired by street photographers like Robert Frank or Gary Winogrand. But there’s also a lot of people that have inspired things I like about photography, thats why I’m so attracted to those blurry photos that capture a moment vs 24 perfect pictures where the flash went off at the perfect time. Really the main way music has inspired me is artists like Frank Zappa or Lenny from Motörhead, people that were able to go out there and be like, “you can do whatever you want.” They influenced me in a way of “you can just go ahead and take pictures of bands, if you make some money at it thats cool but if you like doing it, then just go do it.”

bobCollignon: The rawness. That’s one of the things I was really attracted to, was the rawness of a lot of the music of the time. Or sometimes, like the picture of the Indians, which is the band laying on the floor, I just do it because it looks like a cool photo.

Eric Jensen: You know, there are different ways of looking at things and different perceptions of music. Tony Conrad was a big influence, y’know, just jump in and do it. You don’t need to have a lot of fancy equipment, you just need to capture something quick and in the moment.

Curtis Kreutter: It absolutely has. I feel like my style is always changing and I’m always experimenting with a whole bunch of different things. Even then, I would say there is a distinct style that I have built up over the years, and photographing artists has definitely helped shape that.

Q3. What do you hope students at Buffalo State University take away from seeing these photographs?
Michael Mulley: It’s all about context, and when you have a rock and roll photo exhibit, especially in a gallery at a college, that’s elevating that genre. There are very few places that that take rock and roll photography seriously. Generally speaking pictures of your local bands they don’t even print their pictures or exhibit them anywhere everyone just sees them online. Its a whole different environment as opposed to a gallery situation. With all the bias in the art world, especially towards rock and roll photography, I see this as a form of validation and a showcase of history. Any kind of art deserves respect.

bobCollignon: Maybe I would hope they would take the idea that loose shooting can be great shooting. You know, three or four of my photos are set pieces, but the other ones are grab shots. They’re raw, and that rawness works.

Eric Jensen: The continuity of music in the Western New York scene. Just showcasing the ability of capturing these artists, whether it’s before they hit it big or just an in the moment thing, it’s all about the continuity of the music art form.

Curtis Kreutter: I would say if this is something that they’re interested in definitely go for it. Follow the things that you’re really inspired by, just follow that. Art, music, and a connection to the community, I feel like you can find it in so many different places in Buffalo. Go out to a show, or a gallery opening, anywhere. There are so many places in Buffalo that you’re bound to stumble upon something really beautiful.

The Art of Rock and Roll exhibit highlights the rich musical history of Buffalo and the artists who have shaped the vibrant scene. The photographers’ work serves as a reminder of the powerful connection between music and art, inviting viewers to appreciate the stories captured in each frame.

Students and residents alike are encouraged to attend the Music is Art festival at Buffalo Outer Harbor Sept. 21 to embrace the local talent and experience music in all its forms.