The new bronze sculpture "Eden" near Elmwood and Bidwell is reinforcing the image of the Elmwood Village as a neighborhood with a strong cultural base.
The village has a large university and two major art galleries, the treasure of Kleinhans Music Hall and a lot of shops dealing in cultural artifacts and a well-stocked public library. It also has a variety of public artworks familiar to residents and anyone traveling the Elmwood Strip.
The Judith Shea work is the latest public artwork along the street, from another new sculpture at Lafayette to a giant mural and a neon tango dancers artwork now being repaired.
"If you look back at the history of Elmwood Avenue, we've had a lot of public art projects over many, many years," said Elmwood Village Association Executive Director Carly Battin.
"A lot of people will remember the blue neon lights that were on on Elmwood Avenue back in the Eighties, the tango dancers sign which is being repaired by the Arts Commission right now, the murals on the side of Jim's Steak-Out."
There are also the giant artworks in front of the biggest art centers, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Burchfield Penney Art Center near Buffalo State, marking large collections of art available year-round.
