Artists, environmentalists, beach bums and oddball collectors, unite!
Sept. 19
cost:
participants:
≤ variable
Location:
Lake Erie shore & Fitz Books
Gatheringspace welcomes artist-organizer Alexis Oltmer back to Buffalo to lead a beach cleanup reigniting #plasticfreeBuffalo, followed by an artist talk + community conversation after.
Come for one event or both!
In celebration of our beautiful summer, let’s gather at the shore of Lake Erie to give her a loving send off and perhaps find some treasures along the way. All are welcome to join the beach cleanup, but space is limited–rsvp soon!
At 6pm, Fitz Books will host us for an artist talk about Alexis’s journey of environmental research and artistic activism. Conversations will follow with perspectives and observations about how Buffalo’s shoreline has changed (or not) since Alexis began this work in 2016 and what efforts could be catalyzed now.
Details:
🕒🏝️ 3pm – 5pm → Beach cleanup + art materials hunt
Location will be disclosed upon signup. (within short drive of Buffalo)
Free.
*Registration required*
🕕👩🏻🎨 6pm – 7:30pm → Artist presentation + community convo
Location: Fitz Books & Waffles, 1462 Main Street, Buffalo, NY
Donations are gratefully accepted
🚗 Carpool to the Beach Clean-up
We are offering a limited number of carpool spots to the beach cleanup and back. We will depart from Fitz Books at 2:30 and return after the cleanup.
If you would like to also offer a ride to others, awesome, let us know in the sign up form.
These events precede a unique workshop
we will offer with Alexis in 2027,
stay tuned!
ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: These events are open to everyone.
The beach cleanup will entail moving across uneven terrain, caution is advised. The gathering at Fitz Books is wheelchair accessible.
About the Artist
Alexis Oltmer (b.1990) was born in Endicott, NY, a post-industrial river valley town with a history of labor, dissent and natural wonder. This environment deeply influenced Oltmer’s understanding of the complex interrelationship between “humans” and “nature.” Growing up on protected wetlands adjacent to a state highway provided early insight to our capitalist culture and the wonder of natural systems.
Oltmer obtained her BA in photography from the University at Buffalo and MFA from The Pennsylvania State University. Alexis’s work is currently on view until November 2026 at The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) exhibition Fractured Foundations: 250 Years of American History. Oltmer is a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and a recipient of the 2024 Creative Achievement Award, Art & Architecture (Penn State University), 2024 Penn State Sustainability Fellowship, 2021 NOAA Debris Grant (Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper), 2020 Global Warming Art Project, Art Services Initiative (Buffalo).
She is founder of Pittsburgh Coexistence, an art collective based in Pittsburgh, PA. Her new work Our Contemporary Landscape is on view from September 10–December 3 at the UnSmoke Art Space in Braddock, PA.
