Serenades for Settling (Tending Ostreidae)

“Listen like an oyster” through a new multi-media exhibition at the Burchfield Penney

Opening M&T Second Friday, October 10, 2025, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. 

Buffalo, NY, October 6, 2025 — The Burchfield Penney Art Center presents Serenades for Settling (Tending Ostreidae), a collaboration between artists Stephanie Rothenberg and Suzanne Thorpe. This immersive, multimedia exhibition explores the hidden world of oyster habitats. Through sound, visuals, robotics, and real-time maritime data, the installation highlights the ecological importance of the oyster and the threats posed by human-made noise. 

Robotic oysters housed in sculptural reefs respond to underwater recordings and marine traffic, mimicking how real oysters react to sound when seeking safe places to settle and reproduce. The result is a sensorial narrative that invites audiences to “listen like an oyster,” contemplating questions of safe harbors, ecological care, and our relationship to the more-than-human world.  

“Oysters are magical creatures, central figures in tales of love and also vital members of our ecosystem, filtering our waters, fortifying our sea walls, and providing nutrition,” say Stephanie Rothenberg & Suzanne Thorpe. “Our tale, Serenades for Settling (Tending Ostreidae), amplifies the little-known fact that oysters sense sound, and listen for rich and sonorous underwater soundscapes to find safe habitats. We’re fascinated by this, and our installation provokes questions that arise when we listen with other species.”

Serenades for Settling (Tending Ostreidae) will be on view in the Burchfield Penney’s Project Space through March 1, 2026. 

Related Events 
 

Oct 10 | Opening Celebration 
On October M&T Second Friday, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., visitors are invited to celebrate the opening of Serenades for Settling (Tending Ostreidae) alongside the premieres of Mark Maio: Against The Grain and Nordic-American Decorative Art: The Bronze Work of Carl Sorensen. The evening will also feature live music and hands-on artmaking activities for all ages. M&T Second Friday is free and open to the public. 

Nov 15 | Panel Discussion | 2:00pm
Interdisciplinary panel discussion featuring artists Stephanie Rothenberg and Suzanne Thorpe, with UB Theatre & Dance Professor Anne Burnidge, UB Music Professor Tiffany DuMouchelle, and other UB faculty. Free with gallery admission. 

Dec 14 | Dance Performance | 2:00pm
Featuring UB Theatre & Dance Professor Anne Burnidge and dancers. Free with gallery admission.

Feb 8 | Performance | 2:00pm
Featuring Paulina Velazquez Solis and Travis Johns. Free with gallery admission.

Mar 1 | Closing Performance | 2:00pm
Featuring Suzanne Thorpe and collaborators. Free with gallery admission.

SUPPORT FOR THE EXHIBITION 

The project was created through aquatic research with the Billion Oyster Project (billionoysterproject.org), a NYC-based nonprofit working to ecologically restore the city’s waterways through oyster repopulating initiatives. Funding and support have been provided by the following: New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), 2022 Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center New Works and Creative Residency, 2023 Soil Factory Artist Residency, 2024 FEED.art Artist Residency, University at Buffalo Department of Art, University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo Center for Embodied Autonomy and Robotics (CEAR) and Professor Karthik Dantu (robotic oyster design), Manhattan University Kakos School of Arts and Sciences, Funds from the Media Arts Assistance Fund, a regrant partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts Electronic Media and Film Program and Wave Farm, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and proceeds raised by Marina Zurkow and Ira Greenberg’s The Dorises – Oystercraft from Silicon to Saltwater. 3D modeling and interaction design by Beautiful Machine. Underwater vocals provided by Tiffany DuMouchelle. An earlier iteration was created with support from artist Silvia Ruzanka and sound artist Travis Johns. 

A very special thank you to the University at Buffalo Department of Art Instructional Support Staff: Domenic Licata, Jeff Sherven, and Chris Siano.

ABOUT THE BURCHFIELD PENNEY ART CENTER  

Established in 1966 on the campus of SUNY Buffalo State University, the Burchfield Penney Art Center is the museum dedicated to the art and vision of Charles E. Burchfield and the art and artists of Buffalo, NY, and our region.  
 
The Burchfield Penney Art Center’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The Burchfield Penney receives generous public support from SUNY Buffalo State University, Erie County, 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, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Designated Inclusive Arts and Culture Organizations Endowment Fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, Inc., Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Trust, the Mary A. H. Rumsey Foundation, the James Carey Evans Endowment, and many additional individuals, corporations, foundations, and Burchfield Penney members.  
 
The Burchfield Penney Art Center is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.