The Front Yard on WBFO

Burchfield preparing for permanent ‘Front Yard’ exhibit by Eileen Buckley

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The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State is preparing for a permanent -- outside installation called the Front Yard.  WBFO'S Eileen Buckley was at the site as crews prepared to erect 28-foot stainless steel towers.

"These towers revealing like Light Box Jewels -- a Charles Burchfield painting. -- that's not been done before," said  Anthony Bannon, executive director of Burchfield.

Bannon enthusiastically described "The Front Yard" exhibit. 

On Friday, October 18th Artwork and special effects will be on display on the outside of the Gallery along Elmwood Avenue -- a "one-of-a-kind" gallery experience.

"We have an opportunity now to say 'come on bring it on'.  We can handle 60, 80 artists in a year," said Bannon.

At at sunset next Friday projections from the three towers will turn on forever, featuring images and audio from artists.

Scott Propeack is chief curator at Burchfield.

"The videos that play and the videos that are created for it are generated and selected by elements of the weather. Certain temperatures, certain light and humidity levels  will signal what comes up," said Propeack.

Front Yard was developed with students from Buffalo State, UB and SUNY at Alfred. Burchfield's head of Marketing and public relations Kathleen Heyworth said that included the tower design.

"And the three towers were designed through a class project, UB's Architecture School and undergraduates students design was the one actually chosen," said Heyworth. 
               
Front Yard will provide a unique, outdoor media gallery, 24/7 with digital signals received in real time from around the globe.

"Read the weather, read the seasons, read the cycles, just as Charles Burchfield would have done in his spirit, except we're doing digitally in sound  and image that is projected all the time," said Bannon.