Jacqueline Albarella
Assemblage, Photography, Video
Jackie Albarella is a multi-media artist who has been working in the field for over 35 years. She began working in television as the first female engineer at WKBW -TV. She left engineering to become the Associate Producer of PM Magazine and from there started a successful video production company. She has worked at all 3 major networks in Buffalo and at WNED PBS.
Albarella has produced award winning programs that have aired both locally and nationally. Her credits include documentaries on Homeless Women and Children and Rights for the Developmentally Disabled. As producer and host, Albarella has created many national programs which include a series of gardening programs produced from elite gardens throughout the United States and London, England.
Albarella served as Executive Director of the Arts in Education Institute. Designed after and partnered with the Lincoln Center Institute for Aesthetic Education, AIEWNY brought works of art and Teaching Artists into classrooms to serve as entry points for learning. The Institute served over 15,000 students and adults throughout Western New York.Albarella is a co-founder of the Artists and Veterans Art Collaborative which provides free art programs to Veterans and their families. She has showcased work from this group in exhibits at the Roycroft Campus and at Horizons Gallery as part of the release of the PBS documentary Vietnam.
As a photographer, Albarella has exhibited in galleries throughout WNY. Her one woman show at The Burchfield Penney Art Center, entitled: “My Mr. Burchfield” depicted her life beginning as Burchfield’s neighbor and later growing up in his former home. The exhibit included video clips of interviews with the Albarella family and close neighbors who recounted their relationships and memories of the famed artist.
Other major exhibits include:
- One woman show- The Buffalo History Museum, Restoration/Ornamentation, curated by Gerald Mead. Images of the restoration of the Hotel Lafayette. Buffalo, NY.
- One woman Exhibit- Buffalo/Niagara Crossroads Gallery, Buffalo Airport
- Exhibitor-Part of Gerald Mead: Flora & Fauna;
- Exhibitor, Burchfield-Penney Art Center- Members Show 2007, 2010
- Multi–media - One woman exhibit – Burchfield Penney Art Center – Buffalo, NY “My Mr. Burchfield” related my experiences growing up next door to noted American watercolorist, Charles Burchfield.
- One woman exhibit - American Association of University Women House – Rochester, NY
Albarella’s photography is captured in the book, “The Hotel Lafayette: Restoring Louise Bethune’s Masterpiece”. The book and companion film produced by Albarella follows the restoration of the Hotel Lafayette. The documentary aired on WNED PBS Buffalo.
Her photography is also the subject of the recently released book, “Women in the City of Good Neighbors”. The book chronicles in photos and stories the lives of many of the unsung heroes who make WNY a better place.
In 2018 Albarella was recognized by the City of Buffalo during Women’s History Month for her contributions to Media and the Arts
- Winner of Ten National Telly Awards
- Winner of a National Association of Broadcasters Award
- Winner Garden Writers Association Award of Excellence for Production
- Author of Five books
- Athena Award Nominee
Volunteer:
- Co- Founder: Veterans Art Collaborative
- Board of Directors: Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Society
- Board of Directors: West Seneca Schools Technology & Business Academy
- Board of Directors: Riverside High School Entrepreneur Academy
- Board of Directors: Buffalo Broadcasters Association
- Board of Directors: Burchfield Nature & Art Center
- Board of Directors: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of WNY
For more information and to see her work:
