(Image above: Casey Riordan, American, born 1973, Shark Girl, 2014 (created 2013). Fiberglass and paint. 60 × 60 × 36 inches (152.4 × 152.4 × 91.4 cm). Public Art Collection of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Gift of A. Conger Goodyear, by exchange, 2014; (right) Shark Girl by the Sea (with Cancer), 2005. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Sheet: 45 x 34 1/2 inches (114.3 x 87.63 cm). Collection Casey Riordan Millard. (ACQ1479)

Welcome to Hive Highlights; a weekly exhibits roundup from Buffalo Hive. This showcase is meant to point people to gallery openings, ongoing exhibits, closings, artist talks and happenings in the visual arts community of Western New York for the week/end ahead. These lists are not designed to be comprehensive, instead providing a keyhole into the creative hum of our region. 

1. Hi-Vis , on view at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Friday, Feb. 21-June 9, 2025
   1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo

“Hi-Vis” is a celebration of the Buffalo AKG Museum’s public art initiatives of the past decade, including things such as the iconic “Shark Girl” murals and other works around the Buffalo area. The exhibit opens with a member’s preview Thursday (Feb. 20) 4-7, followed by a screening of the film “Hi-Vis: Ten Years of Public Art” at 7 p.m. Curator tours start on Friday.

For more information: https://buffaloakg.org/art/exhibitions/hi-vis

2. gary l. wolfe’s “Who Told You That You Were Naked? Surveillance and Human Vulnerability” on at the UB Art Galleries Center for the Arts Gallery and Castellani Art Museum. Closing Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
   
   On display since September, wolfe’s interactive installation integrates traditional paintings with video technology to create an immersive experience. The installation features 80 paintings—40 naked figures and 40 portraits—arranged to surround viewers, combined with hidden surveillance cameras, interactive digital elements, and a soundscape featuring the voices of the models. 
   
   For more information: https://www.buffalo.edu/art-galleries/exhibitions/2024-25/gary-l-wolfe.html
   
3. Women of Colors, Niagara Arts & Cultural Center. Running through March 22.
   1201 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls

The NACC has assembled its 16th annual exhibit celebrating Black History Month with Women of Colors. Curated by Ari Moore, Doretha Edwards and Jessica Thorpe, the exhibition on the first floor of the center in downtown Niagara Falls. Participating artists include Monet Alyssa, Lisa Brown/ Angel Lee, ArtiSHE by Charli Charise, Lodina Clyburn, Robin Crawford, Valeria Cray, Janice Davis, Doretha Edwards, Mikayla Forsey, Betty Pitts Foster, Tiffany Gaines, Bree Gillam, Raven Shane Illustrations, Desirée Kee, Iris Kirkwood, Camilla Lee, Bianca L. McGraw, Ari Moore, Cheyanne Myers, Shantelle Patton, Jessica Thorpe, Victoria Udondian, Kim Webster, XIII.

For more information visit: https://thenacc.org/women-of-colors/

— Elmer Ploetz