Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History and Nature
Dennis Galucki, Founder
Chuck LaChiusa, Webmaster


2010 - 2020 Vision & Goals
Eight Ideas

1. Explore "The Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea"

2. Enhance train transportation and see Buffalo as the international destination and railroad hub for New York City, Chicago and Toronto.

3.  Appreciate the "Nature of the Niagara Frontier," celebrate "The Oldest Tree in Buffalo" and support "Garden Walk Buffalo"

4. Become the "Center for the Study of American Architecture" and  imagine rebuilding the Larkin Administration Building  - (while the original lot is still available)

5.  Create Buffalo-Niagara Landmark Signage Project

6. Design initiatives around "Classrooms + Culturals + Family Members =  Lifelong Learning (CL+CU+FM=LL)"

7. Promote the Niagara Region collaboratively and internationally by preparing to remember "Niagara and Erie Counties, 1821-2021" and "The War of 1812 and Peace of 1815"

8. Prepare for, and build on, the National Trust for Historic Preservation October 2011 Conference in Buffalo hosted by Preservation Buffalo Niagara

1. Explore The "Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea"

Chautauqua was founded in 1874 and has evolved around four pillars - Art, Education, Religion, and Recreation. Buffalo, N.Y., was incorporated as a city in 1832 and has evolved around various pillars. For instance, built in 1876 the Old Erie County Building has four statues on its tower representing Mechanical Arts, Commerce, Agriculture and Justice. The former Goldome Building has four interior pillars, painted in the late 1920s, with the depictions of Art, Power, Commerce and Industry.

Recognizing the definition of art as "human creativity, skill, and any craft or profession" (the first four definitions in Webster's New World Dictionary), the Buffalo-Chautauqua idea invites Buffalo to see itself rooted in Art, Architecture, History and Nature in connecting itself philosophically with Chautauqua in the the 21st century.

The Landmark Cruise

The Landmark Cruise is an extension of the idea offered as a special studies course at Chautauqua Institution in 2006 and 2007.

The Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History and Nature (C-SAAHN) sponsors a weekly Landmark Cruise on the Miss Buffalo II every Wednesday at 3:00-5:00 p.m. during July and August through Labor Day 2010. Dennis Galucki, C-SAAHN Founder & Coordinator, will guide participants on a journey of the imagination while the captain takes the participants on an adventure out into Lake Erie, the Niagara River and the Black Rock channel. Using landmarks along the way, we begin to see our region as a 21st century international destination for art, architecture, history and nature.

Reservations suggested (some cruises sell out): 716.856.6696

The Art of Investing

The Smith Library, at Chautauqua Institution, Monday Noon-Hour Lecture/Discussion Series, "The Art of Investing" is led by Dennis Galucki and meets every Monday during the 9-week season at Chautauqua Institution.  (Please check the listing of daily activities on the back of the Monday Chautauquan Daily newspaper for any variation in times).

Ideas must be invested in with time, resources and energy to become real. Attempting to invest in a sustainable world through individual companies is the central theme of the discussions.

Four key topics of discussion for individual investors are:

1. "Know thyself" and what risk/reward you want.

2 Develop a strategy, philosophy, asset allocation and disciplines to get what you want.

3 See yourself as a lifelong learner and student of the market.

4 Decide how to measure success and/or failure often - even daily.

See also: An example of these principles is described in the Buffalo Business First article by Allissa Kline, Nonprofit links sustainability to stock investment portfolio

See also: Interview with Dennis Galucki, Founder, Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History & Nature (C-SAAHN) by Buffalo Rising, March, 2010.

2. Enhance train transportation and see Buffalo as the international destination and railroad hub for New York City, Chicago and Toronto.

How?

a. Promote high-speed rail to connect NYC and Chicago, not just Albany to Buffalo.
This will automatically include Albany to Buffalo as well as all the major Great Lakes cities and states, including Erie, PA; Cleveland, OH; Toledo, OH; Detroit, MI; and Gary, IN. Political support for this idea should be substantial if all these cities are included with NYC and Chicago.

See
George Pyle, Improved railroad service boosted October 8, 2009 , The Buffalo News
and
Paterson unveils plans for rail line October 7, 2009 , The Buffalo News
and
High Speed Rail Gets a Boost September 18, 2009, The Buffalo News
and
Buffalo Needs High Speed Rail Line from NYC to Chicago June 3, 2009 Letter to the Editor, The Buffalo News

Develop a Train Strategy to Ensure Rail Project, March 15, 2009 Letter to the Editor, The Buffalo News

b. Encourage on-train customs procedures to eliminate bridge waiting time -- making the train the easiest way to connect Toronto with Buffalo and all US points east and west.

See Senate Calls for Study of Border Procedures July 12, 2009. The Buffalo News

3.  Appreciate the "Nature of the Niagara Frontier," celebrate "The Oldest Tree in Buffalo" and support "Garden Walk Buffalo"

The Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History & Nature (C-SAAHN) is pleased to announce that it is a sponsor and supporter of the 2011 Garden Walk Buffalo, July 30 & 31, 2011

While we support the effort to become known as a National Garden Walk, C-SAAHN recommends that the idea expands next year to become the first international garden walk by including Mather Park in Fort Erie, both cities of Niagara Falls and the entire Canadian Niagara River shoreline trail: "The Buffalo Niagara International Garden Walk." The map could simply show this regional perspective and become immediate on the present Garden Walk web site. If agreed to soon, this idea could make next years marketing brochures from Erie and Niagara County and Ontario Visitor Bureaus (see Idea #7).

Also, C-SAAHN recommends that the 300 year old sycamore tree on Franklin St. be included on all future Garden Walk maps.

C-SAAHN is a proud sponsor of Garden Walk Buffalo which now includes the "Oldest Tree" on it's Garden Walk Buffalo Map.

4. Become the "Center for the Study of American Architecture" and imagine rebuilding the Larkin Administration Building - (while the original lot is still available and before someone else does)

This project would add to Buffalo's appeal as an international art and architecture destination and a locale for restored Wright edifices; this project would add to the critical mass of Wright structures that are already attracting tourists and critics. The environs around the Larkin Administration site are being productively developed and the lot where the building stood is empty - for now. Wright's plans are also available. It is a manageable five-story brick building (approximately 150,000 sq. ft.) whose interior spaces may be readily adaptable to many creative and productive uses.

See the Newsweek article The Goodbye Swirl:The Guggenheim was Wright's last great building. What happened to the first?
and City should reconstruct Larkin Office Building, October 16, 2009. The Buffalo News

5. Create "Buffalo Architecture and History" Landmark Signage

6. Design Initiatives around "Classrooms + Culturals + Family Members =  Lifelong Learning (CL+CU+FM=LL)"

Our community and region invest a great deal of money into education, K-12 and beyond, as well as our cultural institutions. The school experience by all accounts is enhanced when classrooms visit our cultural institutions especially when parents or family members become chaperones. These institutions include the Albright-Knox, Darwin Martin House, Burchfield-Penney, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo and Erie County Zoo, Museum of Science, Botanical Gardens and Historical Society - to name a few.

The goal of this Idea is to try to get every classroom in our region into at least one cultural institution at least once a year with as many family members as possible. By initially focusing on Buffalo Public Schools, it is hoped that our retention and graduation rates for BPS students and increased enrollment in local colleges will occur by 2020, to help lift Buffalo out of it's persistent ranking as one of "America's Poorest Cities."  

The more that classes of students experience our cultural establishments with family members, the more we will build our future base of support for the cultural institutions and improve the educational experience for all today.

7. Promote the Niagara Region collaboratively and internationally by preparing to celebrate "Niagara and Erie Counties, 1821-2021" and "The War of 1812 and Peace of 1815"

Erie County was carved from Niagara County in 1821.

The goal of this idea is to encourage our region - including both counties - to creatively collaborate in becoming an international destination for art, architecture, history and nature.

Ideally, this would also include southern Ontario in an effort to create one international marketing and advertising strategy for the entire Niagara region. Celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the Peace of 1815 can become the stimulus for creating this cross-county and cross-country relationship.

See also Doug Draper, Creating a binational community
and
Binational Doors Open Niagara 2010
and
www.Discover1812.com

8. Prepare for, and build on, the National Trust for Historic Preservation October 19 - 22, 2011 Conference in Buffalo hosted by Preservation Buffalo Niagara

This event including the infrastructure preparation will go a long way in establishing Buffalo and our region as an international destination for art, architecture, history and nature.

One way to prepare for the 2011 National Trust Conference is for all local organizations to encourage local individual membership in the NTHP with a goal of 2500 local participants attending the Conference, matching the out of town expected attendance. Supporting Preservation Buffalo Niagara as host for the National Conference must also be a creative regional activity.

See also Todd Mitchell, Let's strive to be like our sister city in Japan October 11, 2009 The Buffalo News

-----------------------
2011 National Preservation Conference Planning Meeting, July 7, 2010, Buffalo, NY

The 2011 National Preservation Conference will be hosted in Buffalo, NY Oct. 18-22 by Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN). The community was invited to a planning meeting at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery on July 7, 2010 that attracted nearly 300 people. Speakers from the National Trust for Historic Preservation included Valecia Crisafulli, acting vice president for programs and Lori Feinman, associate director for conferences and training for the National Trust's Center for Preservation Leadership. The moderator was Catherine Schweitzer, president of PBN. Ed Healy, vice president for marketing, Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, also spoke of the significant community effort that went into becoming the winning bid for the 2011 Conference. Participants offered many ideas to help make the conference a success and much optimism and enthusiasm was expressed by the NTHP leaders.

The Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History & Nature (C-SAAHN) has been a supporter of this project since the 2005 National Preservation Conference in Portland,OR and encourages record community participation in 2011. C-SAAHN will sponsor Downtown Library Noon-hour Lectures focusing on the 2011 Preservation Conference in the Fall of 2010 and early 2011 to help accomplish this goal.

July 7, 2010 Audio provided by C-SAAHN. Click
here.

"Brainstorming for a historical showcase," The Buffalo News, July 8, 2010  Click
here


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