BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:48@beebesonthesquare.com DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260123T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260701T000000 DTSTAMP:20260128T211911Z URL:https://www.beebesonthesquare.com/events/polly-king-niagara-falls-auth ority-on-power-portraits-and-fantasy/ SUMMARY:Polly King: Niagara Falls Authority On Power\, Portraits\, and Fant asy DESCRIPTION:Polly King: Niagara Falls Authority On Power\, Portraits\, and Fantasy presents an important historical exhibition celebrating the life a nd work of Polly King (1901–1993)\, a prolific American artist whose wor k covers the fabric and texture of the 20th century. Born Polly Kirtz in W heeling\, West Virginia\, the artist would later be known as Polly King. I n the early 1920s she traveled north to visit family and\, in a move consi dered scandalous for a young woman of her era\, chose to remain in Buffalo independently. There she began to establish herself artistically\, later meeting her future husband\, Marvin King. Following their marriage in 1925 \, she relocated to Niagara Falls\, New York in 1927\, where her husband j oined a local law firm and where King would live and work for the remainde r of her life. Polly King: Niagara Falls Authority On Power\, Portraits\, and Fantasy is on display at the Saturn Club\, at 977 Delaware Ave\, Buffa lo\, NY 14209 from January 23 to July 1st. \n\nAs was customary at the time\, her early appearances in the press did not identify her by her give n name\; instead\, she was referred to as Mrs. Marvin King. Throughout her career\, she experimented with a range of artistic identities\, exhibitin g under names including Pique’ in the 1920s\, PKK and Paulin King follow ing her marriage\, before ultimately settling on Polly King. She painted c ontinuously for more than seven decades\, producing an expansive and deepl y personal body of work. Her art captured the people\, power\, and imagina tive force of Niagara Falls while also reflecting a broader\, internationa l engagement with place and material as an avid traveler\, even incorporat ing dust from Spain in her paints. As King herself observed\, “art is un iversal.” She remained active as an artist until her death at the age of ninety-three\, leaving behind a legacy defined by persistence\, curiosity \, and a lifelong commitment to making.\n\nHer practice developed fluidly between impressionism\, realism\, portraiture\, and abstraction. In an era when women didn’t graduate\, but merely attended for a while\, King stu died painting at Carnegie Institute\, Pittsburgh\, Pennsylvania\; Art Stud ents League of New York\, Cooper Union\, andthe National Academy of Design \, in New York City\; University of Buffalo and the Albright Art School in Buffalo\, New York\, and training under influential teachers such as Char les Hawthorne\, Ivan Olinsky and George Bridgman. While grounded in academ ic traditions\, her work evolved toward increasingly vibrant and open comp ositions marked by bold color\, dynamic brushwork\, and intentional incomp leteness. “I don’t like anything that’s finished\,” she said. “I like it to stay alive.”\n\nThis exhibition is organized around the core themes of Power &\; Construction\, Portraits\, Fantasy &\; Abstract ion. At the center of the exhibition are King’s extraordinary paintings of the large-scale industrial development in Niagara Falls\, including the Power Project Conduit that cut through and reshaped the region. King reca lled that no one ever seemed to mind as she painted on location at active construction sites\, translating the scale\,effort\, and exhilaration of m odern industry into abstract compositions that pulse with energy. These wo rks reframe industry not as static or oppressive\, but as animated\, human \, and deeply American. King’s extensive portrait practice reflects the rich social and cultural history of Niagara Falls and the surrounding regi on. Her sitters include individuals who lived in the city\, visited it\, o r crossed paths with her\, forming an intimate visual archive of a communi ty shaped by labor\, tourism\, industry\, and movement. Interwoven through out her practice are moments of fantasy—dancing apparitions that rise up through the infrastructure\, neon-lit streets\, wet pavement reflecting j ewel-like color\, and everyday objects elevated through pattern and design . For King\, abstraction was an adventure of the mind rooted in observatio n and emotion. She believed art softened the hardships of life and trained the eye to recognize that “every day holds treasures.” \n\nArt perme ated every aspect of King’s life. She painted floors\, ceilings\, window panes\, and furniture\, transforming her home into a living artwork now p reserved as the Polly King Art Gallery in Niagara Falls. Thousands of her works—along with journals\, photographs\, and sculptures—remain carefu lly preserved\, offering insight into a practice driven not by wealth or r ecognition\, but by wonder.\n\nThrough portraits\, city scenes\, and indus trial studies\, Polly King captured the evolving identity of Niagara Falls with rare intimacy and empathy. Her work is further situated within the b roader cultural history of Niagara Falls with Women of Niagara\, an instal lation of eighty-six artworks in the windows of the former Jenss Departmen t Store building on Main Street—once a vibrant commercial and social hub and later a symbol of the city’s economic shifts. The project was spons ored by the New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative in partnersh ip with Niagara Falls National Heritage Area and the Polly King Gallery.  \n\nKing was also a vital cultural presence beyond the studio. She organiz ed the Niagara Falls Society of Artists to stimulate and coordinate artist ic spirit in her community. Her work has been exhibited nationally and int ernationally at venues including the Schoneman Gallery\, and Sills &\; Company in New York City\; the Junior League of Buffalo\; Burchfield Art C enter\, Sisti Gallery\, Gallery West\, Carlton House\, and Cole Gallery in Buffalo\, New York\; La Decoradora\, Alicante\, Spain\; Ogelby Institute\ , Wheeling\, West Virginia\; Niagara-on-the-lake Historical Society\, Onta rio\, Canada\; Niagara Falls Power Authority\, and Niagara Falls Country C lub\, Lewiston\, New York\; Progressive Art Gallery (90th Birthday Celebra tion)\, Niagara Falls Public Library\, and Castellani Art Museum at Niagar a University\, Niagara Falls\, New York\, and brought art into civic\, med ical\, and public spaces such as the children’s ward at Buffalo General and St. Mary’s Hospitals\, Buffalo\, New York\, Memorial Medical Center\ , Niagara Falls\, New York. Her work is represented in over 250 private co llections\, and has been exhibited in the offices of U.S. Senator Robert F . Kennedy and Governor Mario Cuomo of New York during their time in public service.\n\nOften described as having “the eyes of an artist and the he art of a poet\,” King wrote that she hoped her work might cheer those wh o encounter it\, allowing them to glimpse the happiness she felt in painti ng “the joy I had in people\, in places\, and in everything.” Polly Ki ng: Niagara Falls Authority On Power\, Portraits\, and Fantasy honors her legacy—inviting viewers to see power as beauty\, labor as choreography\, and color as a vital force in how we experience the world. \n\nThis exhi bition is made possible by Niagara Falls National Heritage Area\, Polly Ki ng Gallery\, and the Don and Betty King  Family. Curated by Christina Bus carino &\; Alexandria Ciel of the Hunt Art Gallery. 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