The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will host two photography exhibits in their Arcangel Gallery this summer and fall. Darleen Stry’s exhibit, Simply Beautiful, is on display now through August 19 and a fall exhibit, by Colleen Ayson, titled Curiosity and Wonder, will run August 25 through October 14.
Darleen Stry is a frequent visitor and a great supporter of the Botanical Gardens.
She is a freelance photographer in the Western New York area who loves to photograph just about anything. She believes that all her stress disappears when behind the lens, and wants others to experience that too. Her exhibit, Simply Beautiful, explores the details and colors of the botany found at the Botanical Gardens. “Come and immerse yourself in these captured images showing the defining traits of plants such as color, shape, and mood,” said Stry.
As the summer sun sets, and gives way to the fall breeze, the Botanical Gardens 
will showcase Colleen Ayson’s Curiosity and Wonder. Colleen is a visual artist with a degree from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. She is originally from Los Angeles and moved to Buffalo from Melbourne, Australia in 2013. She has spent most of her life in transition, but Colleen embraces change and the opportunities that come with it. Her photography is about exploring the mysterious alchemy of beauty in nature and the creatures that inhabit the world. She is drawn to the magic and wonder in the everyday. “Instead of watching the leafs change color this fall season, come experience my mystical photography at the Botanical Gardens,” said Ayson.
Both exhibits will be open daily from 10am-5pm and are included with Botanical Gardens’ admission, $11 for adults, $10 for seniors (62+), $9 for students (13+ with ID), $6 for kids 3-12 and Botanical Gardens’ members and kids two and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online at buffalogardens.com or inside the Botanical Gardens at the admission desk.
The Arcangel Gallery opened in 2010 and is named after local man, Brent D. Arcangel. Arcangel grew up in Western New York and was passionate about the diversity and quality of life he knew here. He believed in “giving life your very best every day” and was a beacon of light to those who knew him. After completing his undergraduate and graduate studies at University at Buffalo, his life ended tragically in a car accident caused by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. The Arcangel Gallery was donated by Brent’s parents, Wayne D. and Corrine Arcangel of Hamburg, NY, as a tribute to him, and to remind us all to celebrate life. The tranquil setting of the gallery provides visitors a peaceful calmness in the beauty that surrounds it. The Arcangel Gallery displays photography and/or artwork, from local artists that reflects first, the Botanical Gardens, its horticulture residents, nature in general, Western New York life and local architecture.
Use #DarleenStry, #ColleenAyson, #ArcangelGallery and @Buffalogardens when posting and tagging on social media. For more information, visit the Botanical Gardens’ website at www.buffalogardens.com. Proceeds benefit the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to inspire curiosity and connect people to the natural world through its historic living museum.
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