Burchfield and Beyond!

New exhibitions opening this April at the Burchfield Penney Art Center 

Opening April 11, 2025 | 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. 

Buffalo, NY (April 8, 2025) – April brings a vibrant lineup of new exhibitions to the Burchfield Penney, from rarely seen masterpieces by Charles Burchfield on loan from Munson Museum of Art, to a mesmerizing multimedia installation—plus works by more than 80 Western New York artists on view in the 2025 Art Auction & Gala Exhibition. 
 
Experience the brilliance of Charles E. Burchfield in Poetic Passages: Burchfield from Munson Museum of Art, on view from April 11 to July 27, 2025. This stunning exhibition showcases 24 extraordinary watercolor paintings and drawings acquired through the foresight of collector Edward W. Root, who played a pivotal role in shaping Burchfield’s career. Featuring iconic works like The Insect Chorus (1917) and The Sphinx and The Milky Way (1946), alongside selections from the Burchfield Penney’s own archives, this is a unique opportunity to explore the artist’s visionary world. Don’t miss this exclusive chance to see these rarely exhibited masterpieces before they travel back to Munson Museum of Art in Utica, NY, later in the year. 
 
Also opening on April M&T Second Friday, CAGE: A Filmic Circus on Metaphors on Vision, is an immersive multimedia installation by Lawrence Brose with sound composition by Douglas Cohen. Premiering in the Burchfield Penney's Project Space, this installation invites the audience to experience a portrait of avant-garde composer John Cage that emerges through a "circus" of sound and images. 
 
The score to Circus On by John Cage provides directions for creating an audio performance piece based on a text. This installation further adapts these instructions to create a video interpretation of the score based on the film theory book Metaphors On Vision by Stan Brakhage. This exhibition will remain on view through September 28, 2025.

Get a sneak peek at the stunning artworks by more than 80 Western New York artists available for bidding in the 2025 Art Auction & Gala Exhibition! 

A Member Preview of the new exhibitions will take place on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm as a special thank you to Burchfield Penney Members and donors.
  
Brad Robbins and Ryan McDonough will perform their face-melting blend of indie psych rock during April's M&T Second Friday. Plus, join the education team in the Useum Studio to create your own collage inspired by the journals of Charles Burchfield.

 
The public is invited to celebrate the exhibition openings M&T Second Friday, April 11, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free, thanks to the generous support of M&T Bank!

SUPPORT FOR THE EXHIBITIONS 
For their meaningful support in memory of Harriet and Mortimer Spiller, the Burchfield Penney Art Center gratefully acknowledges Lora Spiller, Jill Spiller Underwood, and Harley Spiller, for their presenting sponsorship of Poetic Passages: Burchfield from Munson Museum of Art. This exhibition is also made possible through the generosity of the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation. Our heartfelt appreciation, also, to Mrs. John Kociela, for her additional support. 
 
Cage: A Filmic Circus on Metaphors on Vision by Lawrence Brose with Sound composition by Douglas Cohen has been made possible through the Burchfield Penney’s Equity in Arts Fund, and generous gifts from Michael Pride, Scott Goldman and Nancy Brock, and two Anonymous donors. For their additional support, we gratefully acknowledge Deborah A. Abgott and Phillips Lytle.  
 
ABOUT THE BURCHFIELD PENNEY ART CENTER  
Established in 1966 on the campus of SUNY Buffalo State University, the Burchfield Penney Art Center is dedicated to the art and vision of renowned American artist Charles E. Burchfield (1893–1967) and the art and artists of Buffalo and our region. 
 
The Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State receives public support from SUNY Buffalo State University, Erie County, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Buffalo. Private support is provided by The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation, the Cullen Foundation, the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation, M&T Bank, The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, the Joy Family Foundation, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Designated Inclusive Arts and Culture Organizations Endowment Fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Inc., and many additional individuals, corporations, foundations, and Burchfield Penney members.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Julia Norris 
Director of Communications 
Burchfield Penney Art Center 
norrisjl[at]buffalostate.edu