By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

When it was unveiled in 2009, the Avant building was considered by many to be a work of art in downtown Buffalo. Starting next week, the former federal building will house some works of art of its own.

The law offices of Damon Morey LLP, which occupy the 11th and 12th floors of the Avant, teamed up with 464 Art Gallery for an art exhibit featuring more than 20 emerging artists from the region.

The event will kick off with a private reception May 19 to showcase the more than 40 pieces in the exhibition. From there, the works will hang for four months in Damon Morey offices and be available for purchase.

John Kolaga is a partner in the firm and chairman of its arts committee. He says the idea of hosting an art show was proposed by Managing Partner Peter Marlette. It gained momentum when Kolaga met Marcus Wise, owner of 464, a Buffalo art gallery, during a mural-painting event last year on Amherst Street.

As for the idea of bringing art to the Avant, Kolaga says the building played naturally into the consideration.

"The idea was to bring people into the building, but also to signal that we are trying to be part of what is new and what's happening in Western New York," he says. "We have invited a lot of our clients to the opening and we are hoping to put them together with the artists themselves. We like the idea of creating dialogue and conversation between these two groups."

For Wise, this is the first such venture in the two years he has owned 464, though he says he is already in talks for two more shows outside his gallery.

"When John approached me about collaborating on this project, it was really exciting because it exposes some of this great local, emerging talent to a different group of potential buyers," Wise says. "After I came up here and saw the space and the incredible view, it seemed like the perfect place to host an art show."

Among the 20-plus artists whose work will be on display is Candace Masters. In addition to being a professor at Buffalo State College, she has the distinction of having her painting, titled "Onguiaahra," chosen to appear on the invitation to the exhibit. She says the chance to get work in front of a fresh audience is always exciting for any artist. As far as "Onguiaahra," which will be among the works for sale, she says it is her unique look at Niagara Falls, where she spent significant time as a youth.

"I love all of the symbolism that is attached to water and I love the idea of dealing with water in the feminine element," she says. "Also, I love looking at water as a mass of possibilities."