The Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA) is a Western New York advocacy group that values the arts and cultural communities in the Buffalo/Niagara region. GBCA has grown into a strong alliance with representatives from nearly all genres of culture in the region, and all members share a common goal of promoting the integral role that arts and culture play in the quality of life and economic development of the Western New York region. The goal of the GBCA is to utilize the time, talents, and recourses of its members and their respective organizations to position the arts, culture, and creativity as critical community assets and priority areas for public and private investment and engagement.

GBCA began with a series of informal conversations among a few cultural organizations around the area. There was a strong common desire among all parties to bring the arts and cultural communities of Western New York together as one united front committed to providing strong advocacy. Through the examples of other large cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington DC, and by inviting other local organizations to the table for discussion, a united cultural alliance became a real possibility and was formed in 2009. GBCA is committed to continuing to grow in the Greater Buffalo/Niagara region, and envisions the participation of all 501(c)(3) arts and cultural organizations, encompassing a broad array of arts disciplines.

Vision:
The Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance envisions a community that values arts and culture and the integral role they will play in our region’s future.

Mission:
The mission of the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance is to harness the aggregate resources of our cultural organizations to position arts, culture and creativity as critical community assets and priority areas for public and private investment and engagement.

A core group of organizations acts as a multi-disciplinary steering committee:

  • Albright-Knox Art Gallery
  • Arts Services Initiative of WNY, Inc.
  • Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens
  • Buffalo Arts Studio
  • Buffalo Museum of Science
  • Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Burchfield Penney Art Center
  • Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
  • Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York
  • Just Buffalo Literary Center
  • Lehrer Dance
  • Locust Street Art
  • MusicalFare Theatre
  • Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve
  • Road Less Traveled Productions
  • Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Arts Center
  • Theatre of Youth