william rowe strongly advocated the idea of a democratic art organization. he believed an art institute should be “"a school, a gallery, a meeting place for artists, art students and the public with no discrimination and no competition, encouraging maximum freedom of self-expression".” the art institute of buffalo was founded in 1931, and was dedicated to the proposition that art is the province of everyone. the art institute was regarded by many local observers as a bohemianism artist colony, and many artists who participated in the institute agree with that view. without william rowe’s dedication and drive behind it, the art institute of buffalo lost its creative momentum, eventually closing in 1956.