Provided photo: Heather Smith serves as CEO of Velocitii.
MEDINA – Velocitii is proud to announce that it has been recognized with seven 2026 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Awards, celebrating the company’s commitment to creating a workplace where employees feel supported, valued, empowered, and connected to a shared purpose.
Velocitii received Top Workplaces Culture Excellence recognition in the following categories:
Work-Life Flexibility Top Workplaces
Leadership Top Workplaces
Purpose & Values Top Workplaces
Top Workplaces for Appreciation
Employee Well-Being Top Workplaces
Innovation Top Workplaces
Professional Development Top Workplaces
The Top Workplaces program is administered by Energage, a purpose-driven organization that helps companies turn employee feedback into actionable insights and credible employer recognition. The program has a long history of surveying and celebrating people-first organizations across the country.
What makes the recognition especially meaningful is that Top Workplaces awards are based on feedback from employees through a research-backed workplace engagement survey. The Culture Excellence awards recognize organizations that excel in specific areas that contribute to a strong employee experience and workplace culture.
For Velocitii, the seven awards reflect several important elements of its culture, from providing employees with flexibility and opportunities to grow to fostering strong leadership, innovation, employee appreciation, well-being, and a connection to the company’s purpose and values.
“Receiving recognition across seven different areas of workplace culture is something we are incredibly proud of,” said Heather Smith, CEO. “These awards reflect the experiences and feedback of our employees. They reinforce our commitment to cultivating an environment where people feel appreciated, supported in their growth, encouraged to share ideas, and connected to the work we do together.”
About Velocitii
Velocitii is a business process outsourcing company committed to delivering exceptional experiences for its clients, customers, and employees. Through a people-first approach, Velocitii focuses on building strong teams, creating opportunities for growth, recognizing employee contributions, and fostering a culture rooted in its Core Values.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 10 September 2026 at 10:14 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Anne Joynt, a Medina High School graduate, is a candidate for the New York State Supreme Court.
MEDINA – A Medina High School graduate could make history as the first woman from Orleans County to serve on the State Supreme Court.
Anne Joynt, a 1998 MHS graduate and daughter of former Medina teacher/principal Cathy Joynt and the late Robert Joynt, is one of seven candidates running for NYS Supreme Court, 8th Judicial District. There are four judge seats up for election.
Joynt has wanted to become a lawyer from a very early age.
“I remember her asking her dad in elementary school what lawyers did,” Cathy said. “She knew Norris Webster and liked him. Her dad told her that lawyers read, write and argue, to which Anne replied, ‘Those are all things I love to do.’”
Through school, Anne never changed her mind about what she was going to be.
She graduated from Geneseo magna cum laude with degrees in English and Spanish. She enrolled at the University at Buffalo Law School and graduated with her Juris Doctor in 2005.
In her second year of law school, Anne saw an ad that a State Supreme Court candidate was looking for someone to help with her campaign. She went on to assist with the campaign of the Honorable Paula Feroleto, and The Journal-Register in Medina did a story on “Local girl working for State Supreme Court Candidate.” Judge Feroleto is retiring this year, and if she wins, Anne would have the opportunity to assume the seat of her mentor.
While in law school, Joynt was so focused on passing the bar, she was not thinking about getting a job, she said.
“I got an email one day from a law firm asking me to contact them,” Joynt said. “That was 22 years ago, and I’ve been there ever since.”
The firm became Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford. Anne’s law school Research and Writing professor had recommended her to them, and given them a brief she had written in his class when they explained that they were looking for an outstanding writer.
Her clients include injured workers exposed to asbestos, children exposed to lead paint, and abused children.
“She has really worked hard for blue-collar, hard-working individuals and their families,” her mother said.
She regularly represents people who have been unheard.
“It’s important for everyone to be heard,” Anne said. “Everyone’s experience matters.”
In spite of her successful career, Joynt has never forgotten her roots. She returns to Medina regularly with her mother, who kept the family home in Medina until just a few years ago. Cathy’s father was the late Russell Houserman, a teacher and coach in the Medina School System.
“I have always been involved in my community,” Anne said. “My life is so much richer when I’m involved in meaningful organizations and causes I care about.”
She is or has been involved as a member or in a leadership role with the Western New York Women’s Foundation; University at Buffalo Law School Alumni Association; Girls on the Run; Women’s TAP Fund; the Center for Elder Law and Justice; the Erie County Bar Association Aid to Indigent Prisoners Society; the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Upstate Chapter); National Federation for Just Communities; and the Minority Bar Foundation.
She has also volunteered her time to the Western New York Board of Directors of Geneseo State College; the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, WNY Chapter; Bar Association of Erie County; Buffalo and Erie County Public Library; and Law Intern Program of Buffalo.
Currently she is appointed as a member of the Erie County Water Authority and Erie County Boards of Ethics.
Her honors include “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in New York, National Trial Lawyers, 2025; Best Lawyers in America; University at Buffalo Law School Distinguished Alumni Award- Community Service; Upstate New York Super Lawyer; Woman Lawyer of the Year; Attorney of the Year Leader in Law Award; Woman of Influence by Buffalo Business First; Medina High School’s Distinguished Alumni Award; 2014/15 Woman in Leadership, Buffalo Niagara Chapter; Buffalo 40 Under 40 by Buffalo Business First; and Women in Leadership by NAWBO Buffalo-Niagara.”
Joynt has been published in the Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, and written about in Buffalo Spree Magazine. She has lectured at HB National Lead Litigation Seminars and has given the Jane Ryan Pre-Law Fund Lecture at SUNY Geneseo.
She has been admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court and New York State Supreme Court.
Joynt says she is so proud to be from Orleans County.
“Growing up here taught me how communities are supposed to look and what it feels like to be in a community of people who support each other,” she said. “Medina looks so amazing. The opportunity to return home feels really nice, and I’m hoping to be able to represent the area and share the values I’ve learned here.”
Should Anne be elected, she will be the first graduate of Medina High School to serve on the State Supreme Court.
In the 1800s, Henry Childs, who was born in Gaines and attended Albion Academy, was elected to the State Supreme Court. His home was the house known as the Maple Crest on the corner of West Center and Prospect streets.
The 8th Judicial District includes includes eight counties in WNY: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming .
The candidates include:
Craig R. Bucki – Democratic, Working Families
Anne E. Joynt – Democratic, Working Families
Michael L. Amodeo – Democratic, Republican, Working Families
Robert N. Richardson – Democratic, Republican, Conservative
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 September 2026 at 3:58 pm
One of signature projects of Triennial will soon be dismantled
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – One of the signature projects of the Medina Triennial was somewhat shrouded with scaffolding during the art initiative’s three-month stay in Medina.
But today, a day after the Triennial closed, the steel pin scaffolding was removed and soon the “Good Wall” will be dismantled. There is a layer of salvaged sandstone held between layers of limestone.
The scaffolding was included as a precaution to provide stability. But the wall never wavered during the Triennial, staying in perfect balance.
In its natural state, the limestone will slowly leach natural acids into the softer sandstone, gradually weakening it until it delaminates and collapses. What appears solid is designed to fail, the Triennial stated.
James Beckett is the artist behind the Good Wall, a project that ties to Medina’s architectural and industrial past. Beckett wanted the display to raise questions about durability and change.
Beckett did a residency in Medina in 2025 and 2026, researching the Medina community’s sandstone quarries and civic architecture.
He did a semester-long collaboration with architecture students at the University at Buffalo on “digital quarrying.” That method combines the recovered stone with 3D scanning, computational design and digital assembly.
The “Good Wall” is installed on the lawn of Medina’s former high school on Catherine Street, where about 30 of the art installations were displayed during the Triennial.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 September 2026 at 3:08 pm
Western battalion will be at 3 intersections in Medina, Shelby and Ridgeway
File photo by Tom Rivers: Kyle Brakenbury, a member of the fire police for the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, collects a donation during the Make-A-Wish fill the boot drive on Sept. 21, 2025.
MEDINA – Firefighters will be out Sunday for their annual fill-the-boot drive for Make-A-Wish.
Firefighters from the East Shelby, Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby fire departments will be at three intersections from 9 a.m. to noon. They will be at Route 104 and Route 63 in Ridgeway; Maple Ridge Road near the Route 63 intersection in Shelby; and downtown Medina at the main intersection.
Last year the firefighters collected $6,500 that was donated to Make-A-Wish, an organization that gives life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
‘Moving forward, we are working on a long-term erosion mitigation plan for the top sections of the cemetery’
Photos and information courtesy of Boxwood Cemetery Commission
MEDINA – If you have visited the historic hillside sections of Boxwood Cemetery recently, you are likely to notice a change; the grass is growing taller, and the mowers have grown quiet in these older, more historic areas.
To some, this might seem like neglect, but in reality, it is a deliberate, urgent rescue mission to save our community’s history at Boxwood Cemetery. Every blade of grass, wildflower, and ground plant is reaching down, weaving its roots with its neighbors and quite literally holding hands underground to save our hillsides from washing away.
For decades, the steep slopes of our oldest sections have faced a quiet crisis. Traditional lawnmowers and string trimmers, while well-intentioned, scrape away topsoil and weaken grass roots on steep inclines. Without deep roots to hold the earth together, the hillsides are slowly washing away. Historic headstones are shifting, tilting, and in some cases, falling and breaking as the ground gives away beneath them.
This year, the Boxwood Commission and the Department of Public Works for the Village of Medina have made a conscious, strategic decision to pause mowing on the hillside areas to preserve these irreplaceable monuments and prevent further destruction.
Moving forward, we are working on a long-term erosion mitigation plan for the top sections of the cemetery. In the meantime, we ask for your patience and your understanding to support this healing process. We are not abandoning these sacred grounds; we are giving them the time and defense they desperately need to heal.
This month, Nell Gardner – horticulturist, agronomist, flower grower and historical landscape expert – took a walk with us through Boxwood Cemetery to help us determine if our pause in mowing and string trimming has made a positive impact. She was very hopeful of us being able to stabilize the vegetation in the cemetery. Gardner states that we need to continue to work on the areas that are still bare by planting some low mow grasses and native wildflowers so we can evolve those into well stabilized sod with added value.
Our goal will be to mow roadways and paths on the hillside for accessibility, and outline steep areas to mow once or twice per year. Gardner states, her “hope is that by establishing more vegetation on all the bare areas, reducing mowing and directing drainage, the cemetery will be stabilized and improved.”
Jacob Hebdon, Boxwood Commission president, would like The Boxwood Commission to develop a maintenance plan so that in future years the cemetery grounds will remain sustainable and stable.
Thank you to our community for standing with us as we protect Boxwood Cemetery for generations to come.
Article submitted by Gloria Snyder – Member of the Boxwood Commission.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 September 2026 at 8:31 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jim Steele, director of the Medina Reunion Jazz Band, speaks with a crowd of about 250 people on Sunday at State Street Park. Steele, a retired Medina band teacher, dedicated the final song of “God Bless the USA” to long-time Medina Band volunteer, John Ryan, who served about 40 years as a color guard and winter guard instructor. He passed away at age 85 on Aug. 17.
MEDINA – A crowd estimated at nearly 250 people attended a concert at State Street Park on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.
Sponsored by the Medina Tourism Committee, the event featured patriotic and jazz music by the Medina Reunion Jazz Band, led by retired band director Jim Steele and made up by former band students, alumni, staff members of Medina High School and others; puppetry and magic by former television personality Mike Randall; and a reading of the Declaration of Independence by Randall.
Medina music teacher Rachel Trillizio sings “God Bless the USA” during Sunday’s concert.
Medina High School music teacher Rachel Trillizio sang several songs with the band. This is first time the jazz band has had a singer, Steele said. He also recognized soloist Ric Jones of Medina and Bil Tiberio, a man with 44 years at Fairport who Steele said is so talented he finds goodness in anyone who plays an instrument.
Medina Tourism Committee chair Jim Hancock opened the program with a welcome and thanked all who made it possible. This included Sons of the American Legion, who donated money for 250 cupcakes and little flags which were handed out; Hans’s Bakery, which made the cupcakes; and Randall for his patriotic reading and for entertaining with puppets.
“For those who haven’t heard the Declaration of Independence in full, it is an amazing document,” Hancock said. “Mike’s reading was beautiful and very moving.”
Mike Randall brought along some puppet friends and entertained the crowd with their antics.
Hancock also announced Medina was preparing a time capsule, which will be buried in October in Rotary Park, and not to be opened for 50 years. People were encouraged to come up to the tourism tent and add their suggestion to a list of what to put in the capsule.
The crowd also enjoyed pizza and beverages from Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza, who was set up in the park with a food truck. Hazel and Honey also served baked goods and lemonade.
These cupcakes with red, white and blue frosted were available to the crowd, courtesy of the Sons of the American Legion.
The afternoon concluded with a salute from the American Legion and VFW Honor Guard, which Hancock said was a beautiful ending to Medina’s celebration of the nation’s Birthday Party in the Park.
In addition to Hancock, members of the Medina Tourism Committee are Jan Smith, Barb Gorham, Kelly Kiebala, Ann Fisher-Bale, Kathy Blackburn, Dawn Borchet and Debbie Padoleski.
Photos by Ginny Kropf at left: Mike Randall recited the Declaration of Independence to the crowd. Photo courtesy of Barb Gorham at right: Hans Rosentreter from Hans’s Bakery stands with 250 cupcakes he made for Medina’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of our country.
The Bennett and Green families watch as Mike Randall performs a magic rope trick for the children.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jim Hancock, chairman of the Tourism Committee, thanks the band for their performance and then prompted the crowd to sing “God Bless America” near the end of the concert.
The Honor Guard, with members from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, fired a gun salute and with echo taps.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2026 at 10:31 am
‘All That Sustains Us’ concludes today in Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers: This group is on a bird-watching expedition on June 7 on the Glenside Avenue canal bridge, looking towards the wooded area along the Erie Canal towpath. The Triennial hosted several workshops and expeditions in the past three months exploring the environment, ecology and sustainability. The exhibitions have an overall theme of “All That Sustains Us.”
MEDINA – The Medina Triennial concludes today after three months as a showcase of art installations from 39 artists at 10 locations in Medina.
Most of the works are located in the former Medina High School. The $2 million initiative has been funded by the New York Power Authority, the Canal Corp. and other sponsors. There is no admission charge.
About 30,000 people have come to Medina to see the Triennial in the three months. Attendance has grown, especially in August. On Saturday, more than 500 people stopped by the Medina Triennial Hub, the welcome center that also includes two of the art installations.
Organizers are pleased with the response from the public, many glowing reviews in art publications and the funding support. Kari Conte, co-director of the Triennial, said she fully expects there will be a second triennial in three years – 2029.
Kari Conte, co-curator and artistic director of the Triennial, introduces Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens at Rotary Park on June 7. The two artists created a whimsical toolshed that highlights how birds use tools. They will be back today for another discussion at Rotary Park from 2 to 3 p.m.
Medina has felt the increase in visitors, said Jim Hancock, the Medina Tourism Committee chairman. He helps staff the Visitor Center at Rotary Park.
“We have people stop by Visitor Center asking about the Triennial,” Hancock said. “Our visitors are way up. There have been a lot more people in town than in years past. It’s just been busy.”
Federico Rosario, the community engagement and programs coordinator for the Triennial, said there was a noticeable jump in visitors after an Aug. 1 article in the Buffalo News that encouraged people to see the Triennial and its exhibition of artists from 21 countries.
He said about 35 to 40 percent of the visitors had never been to Medina before. Some visitors have come back more than once to fully experience the Triennial.
Most of the visitors make a day trip from Buffalo, Rochester and Toronto.
“Word of mouth has been the most powerful way people are learning about the Triennial,” Rosario said.
The former Sacred Heart Church site in Medina features an installation, “Exhibit” by Mary Mattingly. Rooted in a living sculpture: a multi-tiered shelving unit of glass jars and terrariums containing edible plants adapted to a changing climate. Mattingly also created the popular floating garden on a barge that is moored in the Canal Basin.
Sacred Heart Church hosts works from four artists or collectives including a palm tree constructed from 540 handmade soap bars cast from recycled cooking oil. This was created by FIBRA, an all-women collective – Lucia Monge, Gianine Tabja, and Gabriela Flores del Pozo – from Lima, Peru.
An exhibit of trophies repurposed to pay homage to working people is in the gym of the old high school. Jean Shin, an artist who works out of New York City and the Hudson Valley, has given a new purpose to more than 400 trophies on display at the old high school. Instead of celebrating athletic achievements, Shin now has the trophies to highlight everyday professions: caregivers, food service employees, postal carriers, sanitary workers and others whose labor is often unappreciated.
This group gathers for food and conversation at the Triennial Hub on Saturday. This is the office and welcome area for the Hub. It is located in the former NAPA Auto Parts building at 345 Main St. This site had more than 500 visitors on Saturday.
People on Sunday check out the exhibits inside the historic Medina High School, where many of the art exhibits are located. In back artist Aki Inomata entitles this piece as “How to Carve a Sculpture.” Based in Tokyo, Inomata traveled to five zoos in Japan providing material for beavers to create these gnawed-wood sculptures. The smaller sculptures were made by beavers and the bigger ones were machine-carved versions on a larger scale.
‘A wonderful experience for us in Medina’
By Ginny Kropf, Correspondent
Photo by Scott Robinson: Roux, 5-year-old son of Scott Robinson and his wife Alix Gilman, is fascinated by a painting of the late Niagara Falls artist Jay Carrier. The painting is in Room 102, with several other artists’ work in the historic Medina High School.
MEDINA – As the inaugural Medina Triennial approaches its last day, residents and visitors are reminded they have one more chance to view this first-time extravagant venture, which began the first week in June.
“Over the past three months, we have watched visitors from near and far come to experience artworks by 39 artists and collectives across 10 sites throughout the village,” said Kari Conte, creative director. “The response from both critics and visitors has been beyond anything we could have imagined.”
The Triennial’s primary indoor sites, Medina High School and Sacred Heart Church, are free and fully accessible. Conte shared that the high school now has a platform lift to the second floor, and accessible parking is available behind the building.
Twenty-eight of the 39 artists’ works are exhibited on the first and second floors of the high school, while James Beckett’s “A Good Wall” occupies the southeast corner of the front lawn.
Recently, Scott Robinson and his wife Alix Gilman took their 5-year-old son Roux to view the exhibits. Much to their surprise, many of the exhibits fascinated the young child. At Medina High School, he stood staring at Jay Carrier’s painting. They couldn’t tear him away from an ecological video, Robinson said.
“Roux joined me at the hospital for the artist’s overview, and to my shock he stood the entire time so ‘he could pay attention.’ Then on Sunday, we finally walked the old high school. Hours after we got home Roux asked Alix if we could do something for the people who lost their homes (referring to the exhibit of keys of people who have lost homes in Palestine.) He’s currently trying to figure out a way to build homes, invite the people over to ours or buy them food.”
Robinson is director of marketing at Medina Memorial Hospital, where one artist’s exhibit is available for viewing, half outside and the other side in a covered walkway.
“Over the last couple of months, I’ve been able to see firsthand the impact of the Medina Triennial,” Robinson said. “Everyday I watch as patients, visitors, team members and out-of-town guests view the installation at Medina Memorial Hospital. The response has been great. Questions are asked, opinions are shared and there is excitement that the hospital was able to participate. For a building that’s been part of the community for 101 years, it’s great to be able to take part in this exciting time. I’ve also had the opportunity to speak to many of the first-time visitors to our village. I bartend at the Shirt Factory once a week, and there hasn’t been a day over the summer where someone doesn’t set their Triennial book on the bar and invite a conversation about Medina – something I love talking about. There’s no question this has further put Medina on the map.
“On a personal note, we’ve made this a family adventure,” Robinson continued. “Our 5-year-old has participated in the butterfly release, he attended the presentation at the high school and we’ve all walked around the old Medina High School and Triennial Hub.”
During their recent trip to the historic Medina High School, Robinson said Roux never stopped asking questions, even after they returned home.
“Art is meant to be enjoyed, it’s meant to drive conversation, and it’s meant to share emotions,” Robinson said. “What we never realized was that our child would be so impacted by some of the installations he experienced. One of my fondest memories of this summer will be the moments we spent at the Medina Triennial sites.”
Jeanne Crane, a former nurse at Medina Memorial Hospital, said she has visited the display at the hospital and the barge in the Canal Basin.
“This has been a wonderful experience for us in Medina, especially for people who are unable to travel,” Crane said. “Many talented artists have exposed us to a world we do not see in our small community. It was well-publicized and many visitors have come and spent money in our community. This has been a wonderful event. Thank you to the organizers.”
Cora Goyette of Medina volunteered as one of the guides for the Triennial. Visiting the sites on one its last days, she said, “It’s quintessentially Medina.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2026 at 4:17 pm
Resident says many people can’t afford roof projects, other costly repairs
Photo by Tom Rivers: Tim Zeiner Sr. speaks during a recent Village Board meeting when the board said it was concerned about lingering property maintenance issues in the village. From left include Trustee Jeff Wagner, Trustee Jess Marciano, Village Clerk/Treasurer Jada Burgess and Mayor Debbie Padoleski.
MEDINA – A village trustee said he wants to see more progress in the village with property owners fixing leaking roofs, painting buildings and tending to other property maintenance.
Jeff Wagner, a Village Board member, says some roofs have been covered with tarps for years. It is unsightly and unfair to neighbors and other residents to have that blighting effect, he said.
“We have to figure out how we can take this village from a B to an A,” Wagner said during last week’s board meeting.
Tim Zeiner, a Park Avenue resident, said aggressive enforcement may not be the answer because many residents are cash-strapped and can’t afford a new roof that he said can top $30,000.
“I understand the cost is prohibitive,” Wagner replied.
Code enforcement officer Dan Gardner said he issues many citations a month and tries to be reasonable in working with people to address the issues.
“Many people are long-term residents on fixed incomes,” Gardner said.
He issues tickets and many go to court, and the cases can drag on for months, even years without resolution.
Some of the residents said Gardner could use more help with code enforcement. The village used to have three part-time staff that assisted the codes officer.
Mayor Debbie Padoleski said new Police Chief Corey Black can be part of looking at the codes and seeing if police officers can help with enforcement.
“We get a lot of complaints,” Padoleski said about some of the problem properties.
Wagner would like to see more improvements among the home and building owners.
“I’m not talking about throwing people in jail,” he said. “It’s about holding people accountable and doing what they should be doing.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2026 at 9:34 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Construction has started on a new pedestrian bridge in Medina that will cross the Oak Orchard Creek.
RJT Construction Services in Rochester is the contractor for the project on Maple Ridge Road (Route 31A) in Medina. This area also will get about 2,000 feet of new sidewalks on the north side of the road.
The Medina Village Board on March 23 approved the $837,448 bid by RJT Construction Services to install the bridge and sidewalks. RJT was the lowest of four bidders when the bids were opened on Feb. 18.
The section of Maple Ridge Road by the creek has become busier with a housing development, several new businesses and also the GCC campus center. There are also about 200 available acres in the area being promoted for development by the EDA. (In this photo, the Mariachi de Oro Mexican restaurant is shown in the background.)
The new bridge and sidewalks have been several years in the waiting. The village in 2021 was awarded a $1,094,196 grant to construct the bridge and sidewalks as part of a multi-use path for pedestrians and bicycles. The funding was awarded by the state through a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.
That is covering 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent will be paid locally from the village ($55,000), Town of Shelby ($130,000) and Orleans County ($97,500).
In addition to the construction bid, the village has approved paying Barton & Loguidice $166,300 for construction services and inspections.
Crosby’s is the first business west side of the creek on the north side, near the approach to the new bridge.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 September 2026 at 9:29 am
Initiative showcases work by 39 artists at multiple sites
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Cora Goyette, left, and Bea Young of Medina inspect an exhibit on the bank of the Erie Canal in State Street Park created by Korean artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan for the Medina Triennial.
MEDINA – As the Medina Triennial goes into its final week, executive and creative director Kari Conte reflects with immense gratitude on the artists, partners, supporters, volunteers, residents and visitors who have brought the ambitious project to life.
The first time such an event has taken place in a small town, the Medina Triennial has brought thousands of visitors to Medina since the opening June 8. It’s final day is Sept. 7, Labor Day.
At the heart of the Medina Triennia is a vital commitment to accessibility, said Conte. The exhibition is free and open to everyone.
“We believe access to art should not depend on the ability to purchase a ticket,” Conte said. “Keeping the Triennial free allows people to visit spontaneously, return with friends and family, encounter new ideas and experience contemporary art within Medina’s distinctive cultural, architectural and ecological landscape.”
During the past three months, the Triennial has welcomed guests from 32 states and several foreign countries to experience more than 100 artworks by 39 artists across sites throughout the village. The response from critics and visitors alike has affirmed our belief that ambitious contemporary art can thrive outside usual cultural centers and create meaningful connections across generations and ideas, according to Conte.
In a recent Hyperallergic review, “Art as Infrastructure at the Medina Triennial,” Sue Reisman described the Triennial as “sprawling yet rigorously organized” and “beautifully curated,” highlighting the exhibition’s engagement with the systems that sustain our shared lives, Conte shared.
The theme of the Triennial is “All That Sustains Us.”
Also, to sustain the Medina Triennial and assure its return in three years as a free event, donations are imperative, Conte stressed. Donors may log on the Medina Triennial website and choose to make a one-time donation or monthly donations.
In addition, the Triennial may be supported by purchasing one of several limited edition artistic items.
Conte also shared a letter from former Medina resident Burton Thomas, who wrote, “Medina is my hometown, and it was a wonderful place to be as a kid. I returned today to visit the Medina Triennial, a truly wonderful world-class art exhibition. I have never been prouder of this charming village, and I am grateful to the organizers and curators of this wonderful exhibition. I could have spent several days viewing the beautiful and thought-provoking works of so many amazing artists. If you value art, history and the environment, you must experience the Triennial. My only regret is I did not visit it more this summer.”
The final weekend of the Medina Triennial features a talk by Buffalo-based artist Matt Kenyon at 4 p.m. Saturday; a curatorial tour with Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo at 2 p.m. Sunday in the historic Medina High School on Catherine St.; a conversation on James Beckett’s A Good Wall with Nicholas Bruscia, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Buffalo, at 4 p.m. Sunday on the front lawn of Medina High School; and a walk and talk with artists Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens at 2 p.m. Monday in Rotary Park on Main Street.
All 10 exhibition sites will be open from noon to 6 p.m. the last weekend, Thursday through Labor Day, including the YMCA.
Conte’s invitation is, “We hope you will join us during this final week and continue to be part of what comes next.”
The Triennial is scheduled to return to Medina in three years.
