Squeaky has new executive director; Torn Space announces spring season

By Elmer Ploetz

The Mohawk Place stage is dark again, but the management says that’s only temporary.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Mohawk Place said, “After months of long nights, hard conversations, and relentless effort, the Mohawk team has decided to temporarily pause live shows at the venue for the next few months.”

The statement blamed delays in getting State Liquor Authority approval to sell drinks for the stoppage.

“Unfortunately, the State Liquor Authority process has moved far slower than anyone anticipated,” it said. “A significant part of that has been navigating legacy issues tied to Mohawk Place’s past — well before our ownership — including historical violations and complications that have required additional review and documentation. While challenging, we have been committed from day one to addressing these issues head-on and doing things the right way.

“Without the ability to serve alcohol, continuing to host shows in a way that’s fair to our staff and the bands who give this place its soul simply hasn’t been possible.”

No date is available for when shows will resume. That will depend on how quickly things proceed with the Liquor Authority. However, management said, “What’s important to say clearly: Mohawk Place is not closing.”

They said they are working behind the scenes with a “trusted local operator” to plan and prepare the backend of operations so that when the license is approved, the venue is ready to move forward immediately.

Artists who have shows booked should be hearing from the venue in the next 24 to 48 hours to talk about future booking options, rescheduling or alternate venues. That involves about a half dozen shows at the moment.

The message was signed by owners Frank and Merediith DiMaria, Bernice Radle and Mike Thorpe.

Mohawk Place had reopened on Oct. 24 of last year. The dive bar/music haven had shut down at the end of January of 2025 under the weight of the previous owner’s financial, legal and health-related problems.

Mohawk originally opened as Mohawk Place in the early 1990s under Pete Perrone, who ran it until 2009. With Marty Boratin booking the shows for large swaths of its history, It has seen the likes of White Stripes, the Black Keys, Sam Roberts, the Mekons, John Cale, the Donnas, Jason Isbell, Daniel Johnston, Drive-By Truckers, My Morning Jacket, Mudhoney, Broken Social Scene and Link Wray on its tiny stage. Many were performers on the rise when they played Mohawk.

The Mohawk closed down for the first time in 2013, with the resulting documentary “Bring Me Your Vultures” capturing the scene. It reopened in 2014 under new owner Rick Platt, who ran it until last January. It was announced in March that Frank DiMaria and Radle had purchased it.

Plans have since been in the works to convert the building at 47 East Mohawk into a combination of the first-floor bar and concert space with the second and third stories to a variety of art-related functions, potentially with a nonprofit element built in.

Squeaky Wheel names Strong as executive director

Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Arts Center has announced that its new executive director will be Kalmia Strong, who has spent the past 13 years as program director for Public Space One (PS1) in Iowa City, Iowa.

She became involved with PS1 during her graduate studies at Iowa University, when PS1 was a DIY basement art space.  It has since grown to run four buildings while serving as a “artist-led, community-driven, contemporary art center,” as described in its website.

Squeaky Wheel defines its mission similarly, to promote innovation and creativity in media arts through access, education and exhibition. The organization, which started on Potomac Street in Buffalo in 1988, is now located in the Tri-Main Center in Buffalo.

In a release announcing the appointment, Strong said, “I’ve been a fan of Squeaky Wheel for years and feel incredibly honored to join this amazing organization. Squeaky’s unique work at the intersection of media arts access, education, and exhibition resonates deeply with my own dedication to creating and sustaining accessible and equitable resources and infrastructure for artists and makers of all ages and experiences to learn, collaborate, and thrive.” 

In the release, Squeaky Wheel Board President Dorothea Braemer said, “Kalmia’s leadership style comes from a deeply lived philosophy about positive social change, collaboration, shared space, and the role of art in community.” 

Strong will be starting in her new role at the end of January.

Torn Space sets spring shows

Torn Space Theater has announced its early 2026 season of avant garde and interdisciplinary presentations.

The theater, at 612 Fillmore Avenue in Buffalo, has a mission to  “create original, aesthetically innovative performances; to introduce internationally-renowned, contemporary performance to Western New York; and to cultivate the collaboration of actors, composers, sculptors, video artists and designers within our productions.”

The schedule includes:

• Feb. 13-14, REVEAL. The building itself becomes the performance with soundscapes, architectural activiations, performances throughout the building, DJ Nomadic Tribe in the dance hall and a new speakeasy space.
• March 28, MAD DASH. A spontaneous short play festival where writers, actors and directors team up to invent and present short plays inspired by a common prompt within one day.
• April 17-18, APERTURE/AFTERIMAGE. An original audiovisual installation curated by Buffalo-based artist collective Groupwork and part of the in.sight series, described as “an ongoing investigation into technology-mediated expression and embodied systems of code, light, sound and space.” 
• May 29-June 20, THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE. A campy comedy by Matthew Lopez featuring drag performances, an Elvis impersonator and legendary Buffalo performer Jimmy Janowski.
• June 6, AGENTS OF CHANGE. This one is at Silo City. Torn Space’s sixth annual education and community outreach project is a collaboration with Lafayette International High School, with a community action and a public presentation at Silo City.
• Aug. 14, 15, 21, 22, TORN SPACE ORIGINAL IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE. AN annual original site-specific installation, Torn Space will be transforming its newly renovated home space into an immersive performance experience.