By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – A dozen of the area's heaviest hitters from the arts community are banding together to push for better support of the arts. It's called the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance.
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Casual conversations were going on for weeks between some of the area's best known cultural groups. But it didn't take long before a true grassroots effort was born.
On Monday afternoon, leaders from groups such as the Albright Knox Art Gallery and the African American Cultural Center, will launch the new alliance. It includes a diverse group of interests - from the arts, to music and theatre.
Laurie Dean Torrell is Executive Director of Just Buffalo Literary Center. She said this is very different from other initiatives in the past, taking a proactive rather than a reactive approach to funding and other issues.
She said the alliance will take an active role in trying to influence public policy and financial support for the arts. Torrell said, despite Buffalo's reputation as one of the top arts destinations, people don't realize what that means to the local economy.
Torrell said they will begin working soon on a strategic plan for promoting the interests of the local arts community.