Assembly House is an immersive experiment in art, architecture, craft, and community that is sited within an 1860’s era former church in Buffalo, NY. Realized by artist Dennis Maher with Assembly House 150 (AH150), the building is a work of public art. It consists of an ever-evolving collage of sculptural environments, architectural fragments, models, and other artifacts—interwoven with old and new layers of the surrounding building.

The reimagined church and its collected stories present a complex meditation on the building and unbuilding of places over time. Recalling curiosity cabinets or wonder rooms, the spaces of Assembly House are visually and texturally rich. They offer an alternative to the increasing banality of the built environment by bridging the worlds of art and construction. 

Built in collaboration with tradespeople, designers, artists, students, and others, the assembled pieces are social, as well as material. A diversity of stakeholders—many of whom are participants in AH150 skill-building programs—work on the adaptive reuse of the church, on signature commissions, and other unique designed objects. Program participants acquire technical and personal skills within an environment that nurtures individual agency and collective possibility, leading to new opportunities for career and life success. 

This exhibition features selected projects realized at Assembly House over the last 5 years through photography, designed objects, drawings, and ephemera. Together, these works speak to the importance of collaboration to the Assembly House 150 ethos. They share a heterogenous formal and spatial language that is shaped by the continuous ebb and flow of materials, people, and ideations. Assembly House 150 embraces the energy of people, their stories, and their futures, and values these as integral to artistic creation. Thank you to everyone who has been a collaborator over the last 5 years.