The Burchfield Penney Art Center, or just the Burchfield Penney, is an arts and educational institution part of

Buffalo State College The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of New ...

, located adjacent to the main campus in Buffalo, New York, United States. Dedicated to the art and vision of American painter Charles E. Burchfield, it was founded in 1966 as the Charles E. Burchfield Center. The center features a museum, library, and activity space for the arts. It maintains the world's largest collection of Burchfield's work, as well as many other distinguished artists of Buffalo, Niagara and

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

. It is engaged with every aspect of Buffalo and the region's rich cultural activity.

History

Originally named the Charles E. Burchfield Center, the museum held its official opening ceremonies on 9 December 1966 in Rockwell Hall, with Burchfield himself in attendance. Burchfield died just a month and a day after the museum's inauguration. The museum moved to a new home located on of land at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Rockwell Road in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

in November 2008. The Burchfield Penney opened in its new location on November 22, 2008, with a 31-hour non-stop grand opening event. The new museum is designed by

Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates Architects LLC (formerly Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects) is a New York City-based architectural firm founded in 1967 by architects Charles Gwathmey and Robert Siegel. The firm's work ranges from art ...

. Today, one of the Burchfield Penney's main goals is to be unique and inviting to the public. Its "Front Yard" exhibit features three tall steel projectors which project constantly-changing artwork onto the exterior of the building. According to Buffalo News critic Colin Dabkowski, "The Front Yard thwarts immediate judgement because it is always in a state of becoming something else." (para. 16). The museum continually connects to educational institutions, specifically Buffalo State College.

Collection

The museum's permanent collection spans the late 19th century through today. The collection includes the world's largest collection of Burchfield's works, as well as a large archive of his drawings, notes and journals. Although the museum focuses on the work of Burchfield, it is the only museum dedicated completely to the art and artists of Buffalo, and features more than 18 exhibitions each year. Other components of the collection range from traditional mid-nineteenth century work to contemporary media arts. Notable artists in the collection also include Claire Shuttleworth,

Virginia_Cuthbert Virginia Cuthbert Elliot (August 27, 1908, in West Newton, Pennsylvania – January 24, 2001) was an American artist. Life She graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA. She studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design, the Academie de la ...

, Charles Cary Rumsey, Steina Vasulka,

Paul Sharits Paul Jeffrey Sharits (February 7, 1943, Denver, Colorado—July 8, 1993, Buffalo, New York) was a visual artist, best known for his work in experimental, or avant-garde filmmaking, particularly what became known as the structural film movement, ...

Ruth Erb Hoffman Ruth M. Erb Hoffman (1902 – May 9, 1968) was an American artist and sculptor, based in Buffalo, New York. Early life and education Ruth M. Erb was born in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of Lucius L. Erb and Henrietta (Hattie) Miller Erb. He ...

, and many others. It also includes work by

Hallwalls Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (aka Hallwalls) is a non-profit art organization located in Buffalo, New York. Since 1974, Hallwalls has shown and shows the work of contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds who work in film, video, literature ...

founders: Charles Clough,

Robert Longo Robert Longo (born 1953) is an American artist, filmmaker, photographer and musician. Longo became first well known in the 1980s for his ''Men in the Cities'' drawing and print series, which depict sharply dressed men and women writhing in cont ...

Diane Bertolo Diane may refer to: People *Diane (given name) Film * ''Diane'' (1929 film), a German silent film * ''Diane'' (1956 film), a historical drama film starring Lana Turner * ''Diane'' (2017 film), a mystery film directed by Michael Mongillo * ''D ...

Nancy Dwyer Nancy Dwyer (born 1954) is an American contemporary artist whose works include paintings, works on paper, public art, word sculpture and furniture art. Her work has been exhibited widely at venues including the Whitney Museum of American Art, th ...

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

, and

Michael Zwack Michael Zwack (1949 – May 5, 2017) was an American artist most often associated with The Pictures Generation. He studied sculpture at Buffalo State College and later, with artists such as Robert Longo and Cindy Sherman, he co-founded the Hal ...

. The collection also includes one of the world's largest collections of the documentary photographer

Milton Rogovin Milton Rogovin Pronounced "ruh-GO-vin" (December 30, 1909 – January 18, 2011) was an American social documentary photographer. His photographs are in the Library of Congress, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Center for Creative Photography and oth ...

, paintings and prints by J.J. Lankes (who was a native of Buffalo), and work by Arts and Craft artisans from

Roycroft Roycroft was a reformist community of craft workers and artists which formed part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Elbert Hubbard founded the community in 1895, in the village of East Aurora, New York, near Buffalo. Parti ...

References

External links

* {{authority control 1966 establishments in New York (state) Museums in Buffalo, New York Art museums and galleries in New York (state) Biographical museums in New York (state) University art museums and galleries in New York (state) Buffalo State College Charles Burchfield Museums of American art

History

Collection

See also

References

External links