B West Studio will be participating in the 2008 Holiday Open Studios & Galleries event presented by Artists in Buffalo, Inc..

Please join us tonight at 5PM for an opening reception of the Holiday Open Studios Exhibit. Come view and even purchase some new works of art this holiday season and enjoy the sounds of guest DJ, Mario Fanone. This exhibit will remain on display through December 20th. Please visit our webpage for more details. Hope to see you there!

B West Studio will be featuring new works of art by local Buffalo artists including Peter Caruso, Laurie Tanner, Scott Klaurens, Daniel Rodgers, Cairn Hedland, John E. Kennedy, Jr., Michael Rakoczy, Sal Patronaggio, and Madeleine Cutrona. Jewelery designs by Megan Pirret and Jody Jusko will also be on display. Please come and shop at B West Studio this holiday season. Original works of art make beautiful gifts.

Join us for a unique opportunity to visit talented local artists and artisans in their studios and in small gallery settings. Over 100 creative artists will have their work on view and for purchase. Many locations have numerous artists exhibiting work.

Explore extraordinary galleries, studios and homes not frequently open to the public. Meet and visit with artists in friendly relaxed settings. For more information about Artists in Buffalo, Inc. and the event visit their website.

Event maps are available at 190 Bryant Street on the days of the event.

Tonight's preview cocktail party allows you to bid on gingerbread houses and get first dibs on one-of-a-kind gift items created by local artists, who are donating a portion of their proceeds to Gilda's Club as part of Artists In Buffalo Holiday Open Studios and Galleries. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

$50 per person; reservations required. Call 716.332.5900.

Artsphere is featuring a small works exhibition by 25 local artists. Opening reception tonight from 6:30-9PM. Also included are: prints, pottery, jewelry, note cards, ornaments and other various items for sale. Extended holiday hours Thurs. and Fri. 11-7PM and Sat. 10-6PM.

Celebrate the (dys)function of the holidays! Eat, drink, and be merry among fellow eclectic art-lovers and holiday enthusiasts. Come join the fun of Squeaky Wheel’s 7th Annual Dysfunctional Holiday Party tonight.

Squeaky Wheel’s legendary holiday extravaganza is finally here to help ease your holiday stress. Warm up with hot chocolate. Nibble on some tasty holiday snacks. Sample a smorgasbord of scrumptious food. Complete your Christmas shopping at our gift auction. Meet and greet the real Santa Claus and his mysterious mistress, Griselda - the reindeer that nobody knows (...darn that Rudolph!).

Top that off by viewing the crazy new “Santalope!” video loop by Andrew K. Erdos, a video/performance artist who bravely visits foreign destinations (including the Great Wall of China) in a fine santalope suit, and by watching a bold selection of short films, videos and digital works that celebrate the true meaning of the holiday season (i.e. obnoxious relatives, crass consumerism, gluttonous feasts and the baby Jesus)!

Medaille College hosts its 14th annual Reindeer Run event today at the Buffalo Campus, Rt. 198 and Parkside. The route will take runners down Main Street at Humboldt Rail Station, west on Delavan Avenue to Delaware Avenue, through Forest Lawn Cemetary, and back to Main Street.

The event is sanctioned USAT&F Certified, with at least 500 runners are expected to participate across all age ranges. A post-race party at Medaille’s Kevin I. Sullivan Campus Center will conclude the event.

Gingerbread… Gifts… Glitz…at Gilda’s Club is their annual holiday gift sale and gingerbread house auction.

Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind holiday gifts crafted by local artists, who are donating 20 percent of the proceeds to benefit Gilda’s Club Western New York as part of Artists In Buffalo’s Holiday Open Studios and Galleries. There will be jewelry, quilts, photography, pottery and more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to bid, via silent auction to benefit Gilda’s Club WNY, on homemade gingerbread houses created by amateur and professional bakers. Refreshments available.

This event is free and open to the public. Due to space limitations, strollers cannot be accommodated. Handicapped accessible.

This event will raise money for Toys for Tots. You can also take part in a raffle to win an autographed Patrick Kane Jersey the drawing will be at 11PM. Don't miss the fun and karaoke for a great cause!

Join the Vocalis Chamber Choir as it returns to one of Buffalo's most unique buildings. Sing in the season with style! Visit the museum and then relax to the sounds of an intimate a cappella Christmas in the glorious acoustic of the Karpeles at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and North.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol adapted and directed by Neal Radice, opens tonight. Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the Alleyway Carolers will all be on hand to warm the cockles of your holiday heart for the 26th season! Suitable for all ages.

Starlight Studio and Art Gallery, a non-profit visual arts center, is gearing up for this year’s gift giving season with small, affordable works being showcased in their upcoming exhibition, Snow and Starlight opening tonight, 6PM – 9PM.

Snow and Starlight provides relief to the frustrating gift-giving season by offering individuals the opportunity to purchase and view hand-made, one of a kind woven purses, small hangable sculptures, woven scarves, mix media pieces that include fiber and paper, gift tags, bookmarks and a wide assortment of ornaments, some of which are woven.

Snow and Starlight will not just feature the visual arts, but music and poetry as well. Starlight Studio and Art Gallery artists are excited with the anticipation of No Words Spoken, a percussion ensemble, sharing in this festive event. No Words Spoken will perform starting at 6:30PM, followed by the Starlight Poets at 7:15PM.

The artists at the Starlight Studio and Art Gallery are adults with developmental disabilities and neurological impairments who have created works from varying media, working alongside professional artists Carrianne Hendrickson, Joel Lewitzky, Maggie Parks, and Agnes Love, which allow them to develop their ideas, creativity and skills in the media of their choice.

Snow and Starlight will be on display until January 30, Monday through Friday, 9AM – 4PM. For more information call 716.842.1525.

Celebrate Christmas in Paris with a musical staring the world-famous ‘twelve little girls in two straight lines.’ It’s Christmas Eve in Paris and everyone is in bed with the flu, except for the ever-resilient Madeline. Expecting to see Santa, Madeline answers a mysterious knock at the door to find the Rug Merchant who has brought twelve very special rugs. Their holidays are filled with surprising miracles that get the girls home to their families in the nick of time. Before long, they’re together again for a memorable New Year’s Eve and thank Madeline for making their Christmas so special!

Madeline's Christmas opens tonight and runs through December 21st. Visit the TOY website or call the box office at 716.884.4400 x304 for more information.

New York Polyphony is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the finest classical vocal ensembles of a new generation. Fusing elegant vocalism with expert ensemble singing, the four men deliver dynamic, historically-informed performances in a range of styles. From the simplicity of plainchant to the dense chromaticism of contemporary works, the New York Polyphony sound is strong, unified and distinctive.

Their debut CD, I sing the birth, was released on Avie Records in 2007. The disc-- an intimate meditation on the Christmas season-- became a favorite of critics in both the U.S. and the U.K., garnering unanimous praise. Gramophone Magazine called the disc "one of the seasons' best", citing New York Polyphony's "expert musicianship and fine vocal resource." BBC Music Magazine named I sing the birth 'Editor's Christmas Choice' for 2007. Calling it "...a disc for all seasons," London's Classic FM Magazine awarded the CD 5 stars-its highest rating.

For more information, please contact Jeremy Bruns, Artistic Director for Friends of Music at 716.842.6933. Tickets can be purchased by calling 716.855.0900 ext. 242 or at www.TicketMaster.com.

Buffalo Seminary is hosting its annual Holiday Bazaar today, from 10AM – 2PM. Numerous local vendors will be on hand selling their work. This includes art, crafts, cards, ornaments, clothing, jewelry, accessories, and more.

All proceeds of the bazaar will benefit the Alumnae Association Scholarship Fund which enables young women to attend Buffalo Seminary.

Juried upscale artisan show in the Elmwood Village- about 25 artisans present their beautiful handmade items for sale. Buy handmade this holiday season! The church is located between W. Ferry St and Breckenridge on Elmwood Ave. Please visit the church website for information.