Uncrowned Community Builders

Agnes M. Bainis the Executive Director of the African American Cultural Center where she is responsible for the development and coordination of administrative and programmatic organizational policies. In her twenty-three years of administration, she has increased the Center's budget to include grants from the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Office of Children and Family Services, the Western New York Congressional Delegation, the City of Buffalo, the County of Erie, the Erie County Department of Youth Services, the New York State Division for Youth Special Legislative Grant, the New York State Department of State, and various corporations. In the forty-two year history of the African American Cultural Center, Ms. Bain obtained the first grant to completely renovate the facility.

She has produced over eighty African American productions working with such notables as Woodie King, Jr. (New York City producer/director/writer), Phylicia Ayers-Allen (Bill Cosby Show), Richard Gant (Rocky II), Karen White (Bill Cosby Show and Lean on Me), Theresa Merritt (renowned Broadway actress), Bill Cobb (The Bodyguard), not to forget Buffalo's Edward Lawrence, Edward G. Smith, Lorna C. Hill, Timothy Kennedy, Laverne Clay, and Fortunato Pezzimenti. She has produced over twenty-eight jazz concerts with such notables as Jimmy McGriff, Bill Doggett, Billy Taylor, Horace Silver, Houston Pearson, Etta Jones, Milt Jackson, Johnny Lytle, Hank Crawford, and Gloria Lynn, just to name a few and not to exclude Buffalo's own Jaman, DoDo Green, James "Pappy" Martin, and Count Rabbit. She has worked with renowned dancers -- Pearl Primus, Mike Malone (Debbie Allen's teacher), Rod Rodgers, and Babatunde Olatunji. She presented plaques of distinction to Johnny Mathis, Cicely Tyson, and Ted Lange, welcoming them to Buffalo.

Ms. Bain has been a Board Member of the East Side Coalition of the Arts, Niagara Frontier Folk Art Council, and Tashama's Childrens' Repertoire Performance Workshop. She is a past member to Buffalo's Art Commission appointed by Mayor Anthony M. Masiello, and a former panel member to the New York State Council on the Arts/Special Arts Service Program. She is a Board member to the Arts Council of Buffalo and Erie County, and a panelist for the Decentralization and Key Bank Art Grants sponsored by the Arts Council of Buffalo and Erie County.

Ms. Bain has received many awards for leadership, dedication to the community and distinguished achievements. She received the Appreciation for Services award from Councilman David Collins and Al Styles of the Concerned Citizens Committee. Other awards include those from the Langston Hughes Institute; Kenfield/Langfield Association; Board of Directors, African American Cultural Center; Martin Luther King Committee; Lighthouse Inter-Denominational Ministries, Inc.; Cold Spring Block Club; Buffalo Club National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc.; Black Achievers; Agape AME Church; Naomi Chapter No. 10 - Order of the Eastern StarPrince Hall Affiliation; and a State of New York Legislative Resolution presented by former State Senator Anthony Nanula.