Buffalo Rising Online

Jun 11th 2005, 12:32am By queenseyes

Last night was the fundraiser for the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts. This was the first year that the party was held at the Neighborhood Collective... which was the old May Jen Chinese Restaurant, if you are looking fo a point of reference. I am sure that there are a few of you out there that are not familiar with this gallery on Elmwood Avenue. The Neighborhood Collective is the brainchild of Annie Adams, one of the most incredible jewelry designers I have ever met. Her pieces are breathtaking, as is the space that she has transformed to accommodate her incredible collection. Annie not only launched a design studio for herself, she incorporated a variety of talented artists and gourmands to share in this visual and delectable feast for the eyes and the tastebuds. She brought to the mix, Laurie Joyce Photography Studio, Tru-teas asian style food (with a flare), and soon to come... Bryant Street Studios. Amy and Lisa from Globe Market made an appearance as they also contributed to the feast at hand. And what would a party be without (you knew I was going say it) Flying Bison Beer. If you have not eaten at Tru-teas yet, get over there as soon as you can. It's some of the best food in the city. Healthy and delicious.

Then there was the music. Once again I was running a tad late, but when I got there David Kane was mixing it up on the second level of the studio. Brilliant is all I can say. Terry Sullivan was hanging around, but I think he was resting up for the Music is Art Festival this weekend. I think he plays around 9:00 PM tomorrow. Then Mary Ramsey took the stage with mystery man Doug Lambert, as John Lombardo apparently was playing another gig . These guys really got the crowd going. Mary Ramsey is such an ethereal violinist. She really knows how to captivate an audience. And her voice... unreal! Doug really stepped up to the plate as well as the two delivered an awesome performance. Kudos to Angela Hastings for pulling all these guys together. What a beautiful night this was; hosted by a stand up committee that is dedicated to seeing that the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts continues to represent Buffalo and it's artists in the first class light that it deserves.