Buffalo’s vibrant arts economy and its pathways to leadership and entrepreneurship were the focal point of The Buffalo News’ third Voices of Vision event, presented and hosted by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
The Voices of Vision series engages people from diverse fields in discussions on building the next generation of leadership and fostering innovation in Buffalo. Scott Propeack, executive director of the Burchfield Penney, described how the arts ecosystem represents a key piece of Buffalo’s collaborative path forward.
“Vision isn’t certain people saying, ‘this is what you should be doing,’” he said. “It’s important we’re not building and innovating in silos, in arts, finance, development or other fields. One of the crucial things we need to achieve is recognizing we all grow and benefit from getting creative together and building opportunity together.”
A panel discussion moderated by Julia Norris, director of communications for Burchfield Penney, featured three local entrepreneurs and creatives—each with inspiring personal stories that ultimately led them to build success in Buffalo’s arts and culture economy.
Aitina Fareed-Cooke, a creative arts strategist, photographer, hip-hop artist, Buffalo’s current poet laureate and founder of Get Fokus’d Productions, emphasized the importance of community organizations and described how initiatives like YO! Buffalo (Youth Opportunity Program of Buffalo) helped her overcome personal challenges and childhood trauma through experience in the creative trades.
“The funding and investment into YO! Buffalo equipped me with multiple skills that I attribute my success to,” she said. “They walked alongside me to help me understand how to communicate properly, how to handle myself and how to exercise restraint. I went from foster care to freedom through the creative arts.
It made me financially stable … Now, I feel it’s my duty to give that back, and I’ve been spending 20 years finding ways to support others through the arts.”
Also on the panel was Chad Williams, co-founder of Buffalo Fashion Runway and founder of dooProcess, a fashion line derived from a wrongful arrest and rooted in activism. His love for entrepreneurship began in Brooklyn, where he got his start selling candy, snacks and Gatorade to bring money back into the household.
“Being an entrepreneur involves many things, but one of the most important is having a strong, resilient mindset,” he said. “I believe the way I grew up really shaped and instilled that mindset in me.”
When asked about the idea of art as a luxury, Williams emphasized that art is not exclusive. “Everyone has access to art in some form,’ he said. ‘Whether it’s fashion, music, painting or storytelling—art is a tool for survival. It’s how we heal, how we communicate, how we thrive.”
Alexa Joan Wajed, a visual artist and founder of Eat Off Art, insisted art is an essential component of making Buffalo a better place.
“Art is the natural predator to power, and we know that because of what’s happening now. Art can never be an afterthought. We need to recognize the value of art,” she said. “The arts must be part of the conversation if we’re talking about how we need to develop entrepreneurship.”
Fareed-Cooke highlighted that value using local data provided by Arts Services Inc. for the national Arts & Economic Prosperity study that show arts and culture led to over $380 million in economic activity in 2022, supported more than 8,000 jobs and generated over $120 million in government revenue in Western New York.
Tiffany Gaines, curator at the Burchfield Penney, summed up the evening encouraging everyone to learn how they can invest and engage in the arts.
“Art is an ecosystem essential to our economy and culture,” she said. “We have to talk about the intersection of business and community so we can push the needle in how we’re supporting artists, institutions, youth and more. The only way we thrive is if we pull together … and continue to engage.”
