Located in Buffalo’s historic Market Arcade Complex, CEPA Gallery is a contemporary photography and visual arts center with impact in both local and national communities. With four galleries of changing exhibits and events, multimedia public art installations, arts education programs, and an open-access darkroom and digital photo lab, CEPA creates a vibrant presence in the heart of downtown Buffalo.
Our Mission & History
Our Mission at CEPA
CEPA fosters the exploration of photography and contemporary visual arts through its exhibition and arts education programs, nurturing creativity and encouraging active learning.
CEPA continues to be a globally recognized arts center and incubator of artistic creation, where our programs drive engagement with art as an essential facet of life and community.
Our Shared Values at CEPA
Excellence
We strive to present unique programming of the highest quality.
Enlightenment
We encourage creative exploration by people of all ages and ability.
Inclusiveness
We welcome diversity, and protect its value by proactively seeking it out.
Forward Thinking
We never get too comfortable—because we choose to lead by embracing change.
Collaboration
We create opportunities through partnerships.
The History of CEPA
Originally incorporated as the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Arts to serve as a community darkroom and exhibition space, CEPA Gallery was founded during the Alternative Space Movement in May 1974 by recent graduates of the University of Buffalo.
Throughout its history, CEPA has strived to reflect the creative priorities for working artists, while growing to accommodate the educational and social needs of Western New York’s diverse community. Over the years, CEPA has evolved into a nationally recognized arts center that is truly international in scope, but regional in spirit. It is now one of the oldest and largest not-for-profit photography-based arts centers in the United States.
CEPA remains dedicated to photography and the photo-related and electronic arts, and has developed its programs and opportunities to provide working artists, urban youth, and other individuals with the necessary programs and facilities for the production and reception of contemporary art.
Download CEPA at 30 for a detailed history of our first 30 years.