Elisabeth Samuels

1954 - 2024

Samuels, Elisabeth

December 21, 1954 - August 27, 2024

Elisabeth was born on the longest evening of the year, and with her she brought the light. Born and raised in Chicago, IL to parents Phillip and Bernice, sisters Reysa and Debbie adored her from the start. From an early age, Elisabeth demonstrated a tenacious capacity for mirth and cultivation of celebration, and always knew she was an artist. She earned an MFA in Drawing+Painting and MA in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and moved to Buffalo with her husband Jeff, love and partner-in-life, where she continued to transform the world with art. She gave her child Chloe a world full of magic and fearless color, sharing her inimitable aesthetic senses with her family and loved ones. Her sisters, brother-in-law Phil, nephew David (Maria) and close family friends knew her as a lover of nature, sparkling host, and as a prolific painter, though her life's work blossomed beyond her canvases. She grew opportunities and connected communities with her incredible gift for teaching and curation, directing dozens of projects, including opening her own schools and galleries. Indigo Gallery flourished in two iterations on Allen Street from 2008 to 2020, cementing her role in the Buffalo arts community, championing local artists nationally and abroad. More recently, she built a curatorial practice with fellow curators, Resource:Art, and opened a gallery space, Raft of Sanity, named for a Tanning quote insisting art is the raft onto which we cling to find respite in a mad world. She exemplified this message, channeling the power of art everywhere she traveled, allowing it to illuminate the darkest corners. Elisabeth passed away on August 27, 2024, after two years of living with cancer, and has left us forever in awe of her commitment to joy.