June is Member’s Month here at the Book Arts Center, and we’re thrilled to continue spotlighting some of our dedicated and hardworking members! This week, we’re looking at Belinda Covell! Covell is a Buffalonian verging on one year of membership at the WNY Book Arts Center, and she’s made it clear that she’s loved every second of it, naming the Center as one of her very favorite places to be. Belinda began her involvement by taking letterpress classes, saying the experience was “love at first block.” (Get it? Like printing block? No? Okay.) During her first class, she was lent an interrobang, a block which combines the exclamation point and question mark, and immediately felt hooked by the letterpress printing process.

Belinda has printed greeting cards and books, and has even eaten one! (At the Edible Book Festival, that is…) When asked about a favorite piece that she’s created, she names her rose designed cards, which she uses for “every card-giving opportunity” she can find. Belinda describes her experiences with the Book Arts Center as “life-improving,” bordering on life-changing, feeling it is a wonderful resource for “all things bookish.” Belinda emphasizes the kindness and generosity of the Book Arts community, and felt that when the opportunity to volunteer with the Book Arts Center arose, it was an “of course!” moment for her, no hesitation needed. Belinda accentuates the point that “knowledge is power,” no matter the context, and that the Book Arts Center has provided her with that power.

Salvatore Sciandra has been a member of the WNY Book Arts Center on and off again for almost ten years, actively participating in the book arts community as frequently as possible; attending openings, volunteering as often as he can, selling his personal work at the Book Arts Center, and even entering a dish into the Edible Book Fair. Salvatore’s personal medium of choice is to begin with pen and paper, used for the first passes of his illustrations. From there, his work enters a digital phase where it is scanned into a computer and he is able to clean-up and color his pieces using a Wacom tablet and Photoshop.

I was interested in Salvatore’s ties to the Book Arts Center, how it has inspired him, and how it has affected his art. Salvatore feels that the Book Arts Center is a reminder that there are still local opportunities and places to feature artists and even give them a marketplace to sell their artwork, something which is becoming increasingly difficult for artists of all kinds. He names the Book Arts Center as a sort of personal motivation, because he knows they’ll “always be willing to show [his] stuff.”

When I asked about his pull to comic illustration, Salvatore reflected on this father, who would often take him and his brother to Sunday newsstands to pick out comic books. Salvatore also mentioned the abundance of Richard Scarry books in his household as he grew up; Scarry, who published over 300 books, is often regarded as one of the most successful children’s book authors to date. Many of Scarry’s books focus on anthropomorphic animals, and this is an aspect Salvatore seems to have enjoyed and picked up within his own work. Salvatore is an both an illustrator and author, featuring works such as “The Casebook of Elijah Snugs” and “Impressive Mammals of the African Continent.” 

Salvatore has created quite a few characters in his comics, but his favorites are Snugs and Winston, a snide koala detective and his worrisome pig sidekick. Part of Salvatore’s draw to these characters are their dialogues; Snugs making “some of the most snide comments [he] can think of,” and Winston often uttering things “[he] can hear his fiance saying,” which he promises is not an insult.

I asked Salvatore about his career path as an illustrator; some people always knew what they wanted to be, and I was curious if Salvatore fell into this category. His response?

“There were times I forgot I did, but I’ve always known.”

This week, we are shining the spotlight on one of our member consignment artists, Hanna Hoffman! Hanna owns SparkMarks, a brand that creates unique and individually made bookmarks. 

Hanna’s journey in making bookmarks began through passing down the value and importance of reading to her daughter. She said, “I read to her every night when she was very little and it was some of the best bonding time for us.” Hanna was a young mom and passing this down to her daughter was the one thing she knew was essential to do. The first time Hanna made a bookmark was actually a present for her daughter. 

“I sat in her room one day while she was away at camp and contemplated a thoughtful surprise for her return home. I cut up some construction paper and used fabric paints to create a fun bookmark that said ‘I love when you read’, decorated with colorful designs all over it.”

Her daughter really liked this and started requesting more bookmarks for each new book she had. So Hanna decided to share this inspiration by making and selling SparkMarks. She said that she makes these because personalized  aesthetic art can make reading books more fun.

These bookmarks come in all different styles for the unique and aesthetic tastes of their owners. The book marks are thick and sturdy, they are made from either acid-free paper or paper formed from the renewable fibers of the Lokta plant. Each bookmark is topped with different colored tassels, ribbons or a simple design.

Hanna was lucky enough to find WNYBAC right around the time she started making her bookmarks. ” I was amazed to find something so cool even existed,” She said. “I immediately got a membership and saw it as the perfect venue for the bookmarks.” Hanna explained that it is important to her to align her personal values with her business and WNYBAC fully serves that purpose in Buffalo’s local art community, so that is what really drew her to bring her business here.

The SparksMarks business is not Hanna’s primary job, so it hard to find a the balance and time to work on it. But she still is inspired to keep going through her daughter and her own love for art. She hopes her bookmarks can inspire creative thinking and the simple charm of settling into a good book for anyone who buys them!

Stop in our store or check out the SparkMarks Etsy page to get some unique aesthetic bookmarks!

        Kathie Aspaas is a mixed media artist and printmaker originating from Houston, Texas, and is the owner of Aspen House Press, a studio and workshop in Williamsville, NY. Believing that art is a crucial piece of her identity and growing up with two creative parents, it is no wonder that Kathie Aspaas’ art is rich with emotion and intent. Recalling her time in high school, Aspaas describes her first experiences with printmaking as “powerful,” something which all artists can only hope to feel from their craft. When her school’s art program was faced with a lack of funding, Kathie took matters into her own hands, using her uncle’s carving tools and pieces of wood to create woodblock prints. Aspaas’ work takes inspiration from poetry and the natural environment around her, which often seeps into her choice of subject and color, and further encourages her to use sustainable forms of art-making. Aspaas feels she is “deeply connected to the earth,” and recycles and composts as much as she can to avoid adding to landfills. During warmer months, Aspaas plants and harvests, experimenting with plant color pigments and new, natural textures for collagraphs.

        Additionally, Aspaas names artists such as Arthur Dove, an early American modernist who is considered to be the first abstract painter, and Romare Bearden, an African-American painter and collagist, as inspiration for her own artwork. Banksy, a political street artist named as another inspiration, sticks out to me in particular; Banksy’s work focuses on direct political activism, a concept which Aspaas subtly imbibes into her own work. Aspaas moves to create environmentally conscious art that “comes from the heart” and touches on activism, a major theme in her upcoming exhibition, Soft Propaganda. The presence of natural materials throughout Soft Propaganda accentuates the much needed focus on natural truth in a society which is becoming detrimental to its own democratic values.

        Delving into these topics of democracy, freedom, and defense against deceit, Aspaas views Soft Propaganda as a “shield” against injustice in all forms. Aspaas believes that activism is a “civic duty” of the American people, and that “forever we must stand together for truth and freedom with integrity and equal rights for all.” Aspaas views art as a core part of life, a way to effect change in both yourself and the world around you, and encourages young artists to take their time discovering as many art forms as possible. She hopes that “the new generations of artists will align with math and science, literacy, technology and commerce to create a more peaceful planet,” as “art is a universal language and communication through that language is an enormous opportunity.”       

Kathie Aspaas views Western New York Book Arts Center as “an inspiration” in her life, receptive to her artwork and encouraging her to create in new, unique ways. Aspaas enjoys using alternative methods of printmaking, which she often finds after playing around with the letterpresses in non-linear and abstract forms. When asked about a favorite piece that she’s created, Aspaas names “Blue Green Canyon.” Created in 2017, it’s a “splash of color” inspired by Max Ernst and the German Dada artists. “Blue Green Canyon” will be on display in WNY Bookarts as a part of Soft Propaganda, open June 7th – July 3rd.

This past few months of 2019, WNYBAC has had the pleasure of adding to our team Elise and Isabella. Both Elise and Isabella attend Canisius College and chose to work with us to gain experience in their respective fields of study. Now that their spring semester is coming to an end, we have to say goodbye! But first, we want to let you know a little about who has been working behind the scenes and with the WNYBAC team over the past few months.

Hello! I am Isabella Okuns, a soon-to-be graduating Senior in Communications and Journalism at Canisius. I am the communications and marketing intern here at WNYBAC, which means I have been working in the center’s marketing department by writing and publishing blog posts, Facebook posts and the email messages you may have received from us. 

What will you remember the most about your time here?

I think I will remember the most volunteering at this year’s Edible Book Festival when I served at the “Make your own Sploosh” station in the studio. It was cool seeing all the edible book entries in the main store and being able to participate as a volunteer. I met a lot of new and interesting people and the entries were very delicious! Because of my school and internship schedules, I hardly have time to actually participate in WNYBAC events so this was really important and memorable for me. I will also remember taking on my first big independent project with the Women of WNYBAC campaign for Women’s month in March. 

How did you come across WNYBAC as a possible internship?

One of my professors mentioned it to me as I was looking for a place to intern during my last semester. She knows I am interested in arts and non-profits, so once I found out about this I was highly interested. And it turned out to be really good and fun for me!

What have you accomplished here?

One of our Women of WNYBAC’s postcards project for Women’s Month

In March, I had my own Month long project in connection with this year’s Women’s Month. I made a month long series of spotlights on some of our WNYBAC Women and what they do here. It was great getting to meet new women who have influenced the art world in Buffalo in either a little way or a big way. And it was important for me to be able to showcase great inspiring women for Women’s month. I even got to work with one of interviewees, Katy Sloan, on her screen printing project for Women’s month. I also took over the blog after the former apprentice in charge left, it was a big responsibility and I think I did a pretty good job with it.

What’s next?

I am still trying to land on my feet, but I want to take it each step at a time. I do not have a set plan I am moving to next, whether a job or school. But as I keep applying for positions and I am just going to work on myself and work on my portfolio until the next path in my life becomes clear. Now I am just focused on finals, graduation, and applications.

Hi! My name is Elise Miller and I’m the studio/graphic design intern at the Book Arts Center. I design products to be printed using the letterpress or the screen printing methods. I have made cards and t-shirts and exhibition materials for the store.

What will you remember the most about your time here?

I really enjoyed having the freedom and flexibility to make my own designs.

How did you come across WNYBAC as a possible internship?

I first heard about this place in high school, my high school art teacher was really into bookmaking and she always recommended that I stop by and take a class here, but I never got the chance. I finally came here when I took a class at Canisius during my sophomore year called print design and we came here and made something in the letterpress studio. I remember seeing the other interns, printmaking students and art students working here from UB and thinking how cool it is for them to work here. Then, when I was trying to find an internship for this semester, WNYBAC was among my top choices of places to consider. So I emailed them and they got back to me positively. I chose WNYBAC because I had come here in the past and always wanted to come back and be more involved.

One of Elise’s cards she made for Valentine’s day

What have you accomplished here?

To me, just making cards that I can see on display to be sold is my biggest accomplishment. That someone might actually buy my artwork is a great accomplishment. One particular one I am proud of is one I made for Valentine’s day that said, “You’re Just My Type” because they posted it on Instagram, and it got like over 200 likes. So that is my biggest accomplishment, that people like my work.

Elise working in the studio

What’s next?

After graduation, I am taking a few months to just work on my own projects before jumping into any specific job. I want to work on my own art, do my own studying. I am considering doing an internship at 19 IDEAS, another marketing agency. I am also going to take a summer class at an art school and then I will consider where I want to go. I have like 3 paths in front of me; one would be being more of a fine artist where I just make products, or consider more like an agency and working on my way to becoming a creative director, or get into education, social change and saving the world. So those are my 3 future paths that I kind of want to combine or go on separately.

And that brings us to the end of our Spring Internship! Elise and I had a great time working here over the past few months and we are sad to leave. Learning and being able to contribute to the Book Arts Center was a great experience for both of us! We would like to thank everyone; Rosemary, Mel, Kate, Gail, Molly, Zach, Branwyn, all the volunteers, board members and all the interesting people we got to meet while we were here! Thank you for having us, it was an incredible experience and we hope to keep in touch!

A Goodbye Selfie!

Screen printing is one of our popular activities here at WNYBAC. We even offered a CMYK Screenprint workshop yesterday in our studio! Some of our board members, apprentices and volunteers are very skilled at screen printing, and you can see that with all the different totes and t-shirts we have on sale in our store. We are going to have a look at how far screenprinting has come and how it became such a staple in the art of printing.

A Screenprinting Press

Screenprinting originated in China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD) as a way of transferring designs onto fabrics. Japan was one of the first Asian countries to start make recognizable forms of screenprinting. The Japanese used simple stenciling techniques to create imagery on fabric. Stencils were originally cut out of paper and the mesh they used was woven from human hair. Ink was forced through the mesh onto the fabric with stiff brushes.

The art form made its way to Europe in the 18th Century but did not immediately become largely accepted. France began using silk screens to print on to fabric earlier in the 17th Century, although they still used stiff brushes to push it through the mesh. But it eventually led to the practice of stretching silk over a frame to support the stencils. And in the 19th Century when silk mesh was more available to be traded from Asia, it proved to be a profitable outlet for the medium. It grew in traction and popularity around Europe.

Using a squeegee on the silk screen

In the early 1900s, squeegees were formed and used as a way of pulling ink through the screen mesh. Roy Beck, Charles Peter and Edward Owens are credited with revolutionizing the commercial screen printing industry by their introduction of photo-imaged stencils to screenprinting. 

The screenprinting process was initially used to print interesting colors and patterns on wall paper and fabrics and then it was by advertisers for campaigns. Eventually artists and commercial printers have adopted it as a new way of reproducing their works on different materials such as t-shirts, DVDs, glass, paper, metal and wood. 

A group of artists in the 1938 formed the National Serigraph Society, which included artists such as Max Arthur Cohn and Anthony Velonis. This society coined the term Serigraphy (a term meaning “seri” silk in Latin and “graphein” to draw in Greek) as a way to differentiate their own artistic application of screen printing on to paper from the industrial, commercial use of the process.

The famous Marilyn Monroe screen print by Andy Warhol.

By the 1960’s Pop Artists such as Peter Blake, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg used screen printing, mostly serigraphy, as an important element of their art. This led to its popularity as a medium for creating contemporary artworks. Any Warhol’s 1962 Marilyn Diptich is one of his most famous silk prints.

American entrepreneur, artist and inventor Michael Vasilantone created, developed, used, and sold a rotatable multi-color garment screen printing machine in 1960. His patented creation resulted in a boom in printed T-shirts and made his garment screen printing machine became so popular, it now makes up for over half of the screen printing activity in the United States.

Another popular form of screenprinting which we also use here at WNYBAC, is the CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ‘key’) method. It is widely known as graphic screenprinting and is used for making larger prints for things like posters. 

The Printers’ National Environmental Assistance Center said about the practice of screenprinting;

“Screenprinting is arguably the most versatile of all printing processes. Since rudimentary screenprinting materials are so affordable and readily available, it has been used frequently in underground settings and subcultures, and the non-professional look of such DIY culture screenprints have become a significant cultural aesthetic seen on movie posters, record album covers, flyers, shirts, commercial fonts in advertising, in artwork and elsewhere.”

Gadzookians making Customary Screenprinted T-shirts

Screenprinting has such a rich and interesting history and it is cool to know that some of the world’s most famous artworks were made from this method too! Make sure to check our website for any upcoming screenprinting workshops or come into our store and buy some of our artists screenprinted works!

Check out the Screenprints in our Store!!!

One of our most popular workshops, especially for children, is the Origami making workshops. Whether it is bookmaking or flower-making, it is a fun way for the little ones to create some craft work and learn a new skill. 

The craft of Origami is popularly known as the art of paper folding and originates from Japanese culture. In modern times, it is used to characterize all forms of paper folding regardless of the culture it originates from. Japanese culture brought origami up to be a very high class art form. The art form has been passed down orally for generations.

Paper was invented in China around 105 A.D., and was brought to Japan by monks in the sixth century A.D. Handmade paper was a luxury item only available to the wealthy, and paper folding in ancient Japan was strictly for ceremonial purposes, often religious in nature.

By the Edo period (1603-1868), origami had become recreational as well as ceremonial in Japan, which means it consisted of a lot more cuts and folds.

An early origami folding technique

According to sources, the earliest reference to a paper model type in Japan is from a short poem by Ihara Saikaku from 1680. The poem mentions a traditional butterfly design used during Shinto weddings. Folding filled some ceremonial functions in that time period in Japanese culture; noshi,  a kind of ceremonial origami fold were attached to gifts to express “good wishes”. This evolved and developed into a form of entertainment. 

Paper Cranes at WNYBAC

According to the PBS documentary, BETWEEN THE FOLDS, the first known written  instructions for paper folding appeared in 1797, with Akisato Rito’s Sembazuru Orikata, or “thousand crane folding.” Orikata was the name used to refer to paper folding art before the 1800s when it morphed into origami. 

But the art of paper folding is not just concentrated in Japan, it was also a growing art form in Europe. The tradition of paper folding in Europe dates back to the 12th century or possibly before, when the Moors brought a tradition of “mathematically based folding” to Spain. The Spanish further developed paper folding into an artistic practice called papiroflexia or pajarita. By the 1800s, kindergarten-aged children in European countries such as England and Germany, and children in Japan were learning paper folding.

In the early 1900s, Akira Yoshizawa, a well-known master at origami, and others began creating and recording original origami art works. Akira Yoshizawa was particularly responsible for a number of new creations in modern origami, such as wet-folding and the Yoshizawa–Randlett diagramming system. His  inspired a new age of the art form. During the 1980s, origami enthusiasts began systematically studying the mathematical properties of folded paper. This led to an increase in the more complex nature of origami models.

Some Origami Flowers made at WNYBAC 

Modern forms of origami are most concerned with the challenge of folding one square piece of paper without using cuts and glue, like we do here at WNYBAC. The most common origami creations are the paper crane and boat. We create even more unique and beautiful origami pieces like at the Kids’ Origami workshop we had last weekend where the participants made beautiful paper flowers pictured above.

With such a rich history, it is no wonder why origami is still a very unique art form. And if you manage to look closely around our store, you might be surprised by a few origami pieces sitting around!

It is time to reflect back on one of our most treasured traditions here at WNYBAC, our annual Edible Book Festival, which held on March 30th! A fun fact about this holiday is that it is traditionally celebrated by libraries on or around April 1, to honor Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the author of Physiologie du gout (The Physiology of Taste), who is generally regarded as an early “foodie”.

The Edible Book Festivals began with the Books2Eat website in 2000 and is now celebrated internationally. The event was initiated by Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron. The official website Books2Eat.com says that along with celebrating the previously mentioned author,  April Fools’ Day is also related as “the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the ‘books’ are consumed on the day of the event.”

Edible Book craft created by Erdene Dominguez inspired by the novel Warriors by Erin Hunter

Edible Book Festivals around the world typically feature creatively crafted food projects that are inspired from famous books and stories. These books may physically resemble the books they are inspired from, refer to a specific aspect of a story, or they might incorporate text from the book. There are judges assigned to select winners to receive special prizes. There are popular prize categories tailored to each establishment. At WNYBAC, we have categories of our own such as: Most Book-Like, Best Tasting, People’s Choice, The Best Presentation and Funniest & Punniest.

The People’s choice voting station

This year’s Edible Book Festival was a huge success. The center was full of supporters and friends of all ages participating in the cake judging, the raffle table and even in the studio with the letterpress! 

The set up for the event started early on Saturday as our team here worked to make the store spacious enough to not only display the edible book contenders, but to be able to make it easy for all the guests to get around. 

The calm before the storm

Edible Book Contestants setting up their book craft before the event

There were 28 Edible book entries in total, 19 for the Adult category and 9 in the Youth category. There was so much variety ranging from the Great Gatsby to Fahrenheit 451 to A Pickle of Ice and Fire. 

A Pickle of Ice and Fire by Gina Maria Klienmartin

But other than the Edible book contest, there were more activities going on at WNYBAC. Our Guests were purchasing raffle tickets to win one of the many prizes being offered, such as exclusive tickets to shows playing at Shea’s and The Irish Classical Theater, a free one-hour massage at Therapeutically Well, and so much more.

In the studio, guests could make their own edible book letterpress card as well as learn a few things about printing. And also located in the studio, was a make your own “Sploosh” (salsa) station inspired by the book Holes by Louis Sachar, and a button making station inspired by the event itself.

The Studio activities at the Edible Book Festival

At the end of the night, the winners were drawn and everyone gathered to hear the results. The awards were graciously sponsored by multiple local Buffalo businesses. The most book-like awards, sponsored by Valu Home Center and Quality Bindery, were awarded to Fahrenheit 451 by Ciah and Stephanie Courtney and Bibliophyllo by Donna Stepien. The best presentation awards, sponsored by PIA and Explore Buffalo, were given to Warriors by Erdene Dominguez and The Great Gatsby by Lara Martini. One of the new categories, Funniest and Punniest, sponsored by Telesco Creative Group and The Brewroom, was awarded to Dead Seaweed Scrolls by Galvan Kleinmartin and The Long Quiche Goodnight by Toulon O’Connor. The Best Tasting awards, sponsored by Fat Bob’s Smokehouse and JJ’s Casa di Pizza, went to Lion Witch and the Wardrobe by Ava Courtney and Sing Bird by Tyler Stover. Last, but not least is the Peoples Choice award presented by M&T Bank. This year, it was awarded to Don’t Let the Pigeon Eat the Bus by Nella Darrell-Sterbak.

All the winners of the night!

Soon after the awards were given, everyone started to dig in to the edible books. We found some of the entries were a mix of vanilla and chocolate cake, one was very minty, another was very pickly, and one entry was entirely made of Cheerios!

As the food was eaten up, the crowd began to reduce and just like that, another Edible Book Festival had come to an end. It was a good event and we are definitely excited to see what Edible Books we will get to exhibit next year!

The month of March is known and celebrated as Women’s History Month in the United States. This month, we chose to spotlight some of our female members who have contributed to the growth and artistry present here at WNYBAC to celebrate this year’s Women’s History Month!

Meet Christina Agos, an active member of the WNYBAC Board of Directors and one of our consignment artists. She has been involved with WNYBAC for about 5 years now. She said, “It started with an interest in browsing the store and taking workshops, and it grew into a love for the preservation of the book arts and also for the organization and their mission.” She started volunteering to be more involved with Book Arts and steadily made her way to the position she holds now.

Christina’s craft is letterpress printing, which she actually learned taking workshops with us when she was making invitations for her wedding. She enjoyed it so much that she bought Millie, her platen press, and turned part of her basement into a studio space. She found a way to connect it with her knowledge in Graphic Design. “ I enjoy combining old and new technology by designing on the computer and then printing that design by hand.

Christina hard at work on a WNYBAC letterpress

Christina describes herself as a “Mompreneur” and she wants to make her letterpress craft a full-time commitment. She has reached a point in her life where she is not afraid to learn new things and meet new people. She said she is glad she pushed herself to learn about WNYBAC instead of just being to afraid to put herself out there.

Christina’s advice to women this Month is to never stop striving to learn new things. Women need to put themselves out there, even when it seems scary. She states, “You never know what might inspire you and where it could lead!”

The month of March is known and celebrated as Women’s History Month in the United States. This month, we chose to spotlight some of our female members who have contributed to the growth and artistry present here at WNYBAC to celebrate this year’s Women’s History Month!

Meet Sweety Kabra, one of our Studio Volunteers & Teaching Artists. “Yes, Sweety is my birth name given to me by my grandparents and I kept it,” Sweety said about her unique name. She is from India and moved to the United States 2 years ago after getting married. Love brought her here to Buffalo. She has come to love Buffalo over time and she could not have hoped for a better place to call home.

“When I moved here I had no connections, no family, not many friends. But I had my interests and likings,” Sweety said about finding stuff to keep her busy here. She had been involved in some paper crafts when she lived in India and had instructed a couple of workshops. She hoped she would find activities and events here that will interest her.

Sweety hit a changing point when she got the opportunity to attend some Art Fairs and Craft events here in Buffalo. She said it immediately made her realize that she wanted to do something in the Arts field. This ultimately led her to apply for a volunteer position with WNYBAC. Once she was accepted, she started volunteering and assisting teaching artists during workshops. So far, it has been a year and she has been lucky enough to get so many opportunities to learn, assist, conduct and organize workshops and Craft events with us at WNYBAC.

Some of Sweety’s Art Designs and Crafts

Sweety’s craft work consists of paper crafts, personalized gifts and Henna designs. “My motivation to pursue arts come from the fact that hand crafted things are beautiful and unique. I feel that I can portray my feelings and emotions through my art and spread joy and happiness in the world,” she said regarding her artistry. She has a couple of upcoming Henna workshops later this spring, which you can find on WNYBAC website.
She thinks being very persistent about what she wanted to do and pursuing her passion for arts was a good choice. “I was also fortunate to meet like minded people at WNYBAC [who] considered me and gave me an opportunity.”
Sweety wants to use her art to spread the happiness and love around her and share beautiful designs from another part of the world here in Buffalo.

Sweety designing Henna on a customer

Looking towards Women’s History month, she states that as a woman in the world the possibilities today are endless. “[As a woman] You just have to stick to your passion and keep believing in yourself. Most importantly you have to have a support system, someone who believes in you and gives you that confidence.” Sweety appreciates WNYBAC because we give her a lot of inspiration, and it is all thanks to the many amazing women who work here.
“I want to take this opportunity and congratulate every woman and wish them a Happy Women’s Month!”