170614 Shadow Selfies

James Neiss/staff photographer Niagara Falls, NY - A team from the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University decorate empty storefronts on 3rd Street with Shadow Selfies created by staff and students at the museum. According to the press release, approximately 110 of the 3-foot-wide silhouettes were created by Niagara students, faculty and staff, as well as by members of the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club, during an event held at the Castellani Art Museum in early May. The personalized pieces of art are now affixed to the windows of vacant buildings in Niagara Falls, framed by giant sheets of white paper and backlit by lights inside the buildings. Press Release: From: Michael Freedman Subject: Niagara University Art Project Brings ‘Shadow Selfies’ to Vacant Niagara Falls Storefronts Date: June 14, 2017 at 1:00:51 PM EDT To: "Mark Scheer (mark.scheer@niagara-gazette.com)" , "Marlene D'Aloise (marlene.daloise@niagara-gazette.com)" , Matt Winterhalter , "Michele DeLuca (michele.deluca@niagara-gazette.com)" , "Phil Gambini (philip.gambini@niagara-gazette.com)" NEWS RELEASE Office of Communications and Public Relations Niagara University, NY 14109 Phone: 716.286.8584 • Cell: 716.940.3394 _______________________________________________________________________ Niagara University Art Project Brings ‘Shadow Selfies’ to Vacant Niagara Falls Storefronts NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. (June 14, 2017) – Life-sized paper silhouettes of Niagara University students, faculty and staff now adorn the windows of vacant buildings in downtown Niagara Falls, thanks to a partnership between NU and the city’s Department of Community Development. Installation of the “shadow selfies” took place today in storefronts located at the corner of Main and Third streets in Niagara Falls. Approximately 110 of the 3-foot-wide silhouettes were created by Niagara students, faculty and staff, as well as by members of the Niagara Falls Boys and Girls Club, during an event held at the Castellani Art Museum in early May. The personalized pieces of art are now affixed to the windows of vacant buildings in Niagara Falls, framed by giant sheets of white paper and backlit by lights inside the buildings. “Once these installations are complete, and backlit in the evenings during the height of the tourism season, the result will be an ongoing depiction of potential commercial opportunity, harkening back to the boom days of the city of Niagara Falls – but, more importantly, this project also speaks to the new renaissance the city is experiencing,” said Michael Beam, curator of exhibitions and special projects for the Castellani Art Museum, which is located at Niagara University. “The concept for this public art project is to buttress the new renaissance that the city of Niagara Falls is experiencing, while perhaps stirring developer interest.” Titled “Power Up Niagara,” the project is the first in a new Niagara University program called NU Arts, developed by Castellani Art Museum director Kate Koperski and Beam. NU Arts is designed to bring more public art, events and happenings onto campus and into the community. To learn more about the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University, please visit http://castellaniartmuseum.org. Niagara University also offers a bachelor’s degree program in art history with museum studies. The curriculum is presented through NU’s College of Arts and Sciences in association with the Castellani Art Museum, one of the region’s three major art museums. Additional information on the program can be found at www.niagara.edu/arthistory. Niagara University Founded by the Vincentian community in 1856, Niagara University is a comprehensive institution, blending the best of a liberal arts and professional education, grounded in our values-based Catholic tradition. Its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, and Hospitality and Tourism Management offer programs at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral level. As the first Vincentian university established in the United States, Niagara prepares students for personal and professional success while emphasizing service to the community in honor of St. Vincent de Paul. Niagara’s institutional commitment to service learning has led to its inclusion on the President’s Honor Roll for Community Service every year since its inception in 2006, and its recognition with the Carnegie Foundation’s Classification for Community Engagement. -30- Michael J. Freedman, MBA’14 Associate Director of Public Relations & Manager of Online Content Niagara University Office of Public Relations P.O. Box 2039 Niagara University, NY 14109 P: 716.286.8584 | F: 716.286.8581 www.niagara.edu [cid:image001.png@01D256C3.9E943450][cid:image002.png@01D256C3.9E943450] [youtube2] [cid:image004.png@01D256C3.9E943450] [cid:image005.png@01D256C3.9E943450] [cid:image006.png@01D256C3.9E943450]