Western New York Hosts 68th Allentown Art Festival with 350 Artisans

Recent art festivals and exhibitions across the U.S. and Europe are celebrating diverse forms of artistic expression, showcasing both local and international talent. In Buffalo, the 26th annual Allen West Art Festival highlighted the work of about 130 artists from Western New York alongside the larger Allentown Art Festival featuring 350 artisans nationwide. Meanwhile, Rockport Center for the Arts in Texas is hosting “Reflections,” an exhibition by James Tisdale, featuring large ceramic figures that reflect cultural and social themes from the artist's Mississippi upbringing. Independent artist-run spaces, or 'offspaces,' especially in African cities, continue to thrive by fostering experimental art and collective sustainability amid urbanization challenges. In Europe, Klara Lidén’s solo exhibition in Zurich explores urban public and private space through installations using city materials, while Travis Boyer and Becky Tucker present works that blend art-historical and contemporary cultural motifs with unique materiality and uncanny forms. These diverse events underscore the evolving landscape of contemporary art that bridges local identity, urban experiences, and global cultural dialogues.