Buffalo Arts Studio Oct. 25 Panel Discussion

Buffalo Arts Studio, in partnership with area environmental activist organizations, will present the panel discussion, “New Polluters” featuring artists, academics, and grassroots activists discussing the environmental impact of cloud computing and crypto- mining on our community.

The panel discussion is Oct. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. It will be at Buffalo Arts Studio Tri-Main Center.

The panel will include exhibiting artists Joan Linder and Stephanie Rothenberg as well as North Tonawanda residents who successfully won a two-year moratorium on new operations or the expansion of existing “data center.” Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s Elizabeth Cute will also be one of the people on the panel.

The “data center” moratorium can include: “facilities housing multiple banks of computers within a building, modular facilities containing processors in multiple storage-like containers, server clusters and other operations related to cryptocurrency mining, blockchain authenticating, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) processing, general data computing, processing and storage, and other large-scale electronic-based centers of the like.”

This is all part of the Waterfront View series by Buffalo Arts Studio to feature exhibitions, workshops, and panel conversations that examine how late-stage capitalism has shifted the view of water and waterways from a resource of collective benefit to a commodity of individual interest and shareholder profit. Waterfront View supports the creation of new work that critically addresses contemporary issues surrounding economic and environmental justice and reflects the belief that artists and curators can effect change through collaborations that balance community need with artistic insight. All programs are curated with the intent to spur dialogue between varied audiences while working toward social, economic, and environmental justice.