Local artist Rey honored with Albright Knox exhibits
Artist and educator Alberto Rey, painting with oil at his Fredonia studio. Several of Rey’s paintings, which represent concerns for ecology and nature, are on permanent display at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo.
Photo by John Straight Alberto Rey and his son, Diego, during a fly-tying moment at the “Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing Program.” The program is conducted in the Costello Room at the Rockefeller Arts Center at SUNY Fredonia starting Oct. 3.
Artist and educator Alberto Rey, painting with oil at his Fredonia studio. Several of Rey’s paintings, which represent concerns for ecology and nature, are on permanent display at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo.
Photo by John Straight Alberto Rey and his son, Diego, during a fly-tying moment at the “Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing Program.” The program is conducted in the Costello Room at the Rockefeller Arts Center at SUNY Fredonia starting Oct. 3.
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An artist can undoubtedly create a painting that conveys both a message of hope and a message for help. The art from a local artist, Alberto Rey, provides the connection to share complex emotions and ideas about nature, water quality, ecology and much more. Many artists use their work to simultaneously address optimistic and challenging themes, highlighting the duality of the human experience.
A Fredonia resident since 1989, Alberto Rey is a contemporary American artist who has become renowned for his work in the field of environmental art. His works define his successful exploration and streamside adventures, including art, ecology, youth, fly fishing, and so much more. He has created a wide range of artwork, including sketches, paintings, sculptures, and museum-wide installations, and it is obvious he is inspired by nature and the environment. His artworks have been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country and the world, and he has also written and lectured extensively on the subjects of art and ecology.
Rey is a humble artist recently honored, yet again, with a significant connection to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo. Yet one more of his artful painted masterpieces has recently been requested and delivered to the permanent collection there. He recently retired as a professor of art at the State University of New York at Fredonia. His work in many forms has been featured in several exhibitions at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and galleries in Niagara Falls, New York City, and elsewhere.
Albright-Knox has a history of showcasing contemporary and modern art, and Rey's contributions have been part of this artistic dialogue.
It's worth noting that the gallery has undergone a significant expansion and renovation, and the viewable status of exhibitions there has evolved to include the modern-day art messages of the artist. Concern for the ecology of local streams and waterways that support regional steelhead, including Rey's findings from research in entomology and related biological concerns, has been a large part of Rey's artistic focus.
His art and the dialogue of his verbal presentation across the country and locally have incorporated environmental distress, highlighting modern society's disengagement with nature. Rey's paintings share the message that fish in distress highlight nature in distress and are being ignored by communities around the globe.
Rey is known for his art and his efforts in teaching children and young people how to fly fish. He has used his passion for fly fishing to connect young people with nature and the environment. He lives on a local stream in Fredonia, and his location is likely helpful with awareness of changes in water quality, the Lake Erie steelhead fishery, and the biology of local ecosystems.
Teaching children to fly fish has been one way for him to instill an appreciation for the outdoors, aquatic ecosystems, and the importance of conservation to local youngsters. Rey has worked on various educational programs and initiatives aimed at introducing young individuals to the art of fly fishing and fostering an understanding of the natural world. His work in this area aligns with his broader exploration of the relationship between art, ecology, and the environment. After training with the SAREP Program at Cornell University in 1998, Rey started to offer fly fishing classes for kids and, this year, will celebrate 25 years for the "Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing Program."
Rey's close friend and associate in fly fishing is Jim Wilcox. Rey says, "I couldn't have done these youth group classes without help from Jim." The fly-tying classes begin this year on Oct. 3 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Costello Room in the Rockefeller Arts Center at SUNY Fredonia. The hands-on group sessions are conducted weekly except for Nov. 21, Dec. 26, and Jan. 2.
Visitors can now view several of Rey's paintings in the permanent collection at the Albright Know Art Gallery in Buffalo during their open hours. Rey is an artist, a fly fishing guide -- 2021 Orvis Fly Fishing Guide of the Year, an Emeritus Distinguished Professor (State University of New York), an outdoor writer, the Visual Arts Staff Writer for the Buffalo Spree, and the founder/director of Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing Program/4H.
Rey's efforts may be briefly highlighted by an inspirational word message from Baba Dioum, a Senegalese Forestry Engineer. The message can be found at the end of every Alberto Rey email: "In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."