Since the beginning of summer, photographer David Kafer (Buffalo native) has been touring the US, in search of cataloging the ethnic diversity of its cities. After spending a few days at The Foundry on the Buffalo’s West Side, he then rolled on over to The Pop In on Grant Street, where he set up shop on Monday. Pop-In co-founder Jason Clement tells me that since his arrival, David has been photographing upwards of 100 people a day.
Along with each portrait taken, the subject is asked to write a short story about his or her city. The objective is to showcase the ethnic diversity that is found in all cities. Grant Street is, of course, one of the best examples of diversity in the city of Buffalo. Once the portraits are amassed, Kafer plans on creating a giant portfolio of the works. He will then arrange with a couple of cities (including Buffalo), to install public works of art centering around the pro-bono project. Each participant is also given a portrait shot to keep (for free).
The “passion project” will be extended until tomorrow, in order to be part of a 716 (July, 16) celebration. At 2pm on Thursday, 7.16, Mayor Brown will be stopping over to The Pop In to announce the day as Buffalove Day in the city of Buffalo. Moving forward, it is anticipated that The Mayor will also recognize 7.16 each year as Buffalo Day (or Buffalove Day). Grant Street businesses will join The Mayor to witness the proclamation. The Mayor sees this project as going hand in hand with the city’s recently launched Opportunity Pledge.
The goal of the photo shoot is to capture the images of 3000 people in Buffalo. Altogether he is photographing 100,000 people across the country, over the next 5 years.
The Pop In | 218 Grant Street | Buffalo, New York | Facebook
Lead image: Casey Milbrand, David Kafer and Jason Clement