Summer Exhibitions Explore Poetry & Nature, African American Heritage, & Works from the Collection 

Opening on M&T Second Friday, July 12, 2024 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. 

 
Buffalo NY, Tuesday, July 2, 2024 — On July M&T Second Friday, the Burchfield Penney Art Center will debut three distinct and thought-provoking exhibitions celebrating artistic expressions related to our region: Embracing Earth: Burchfield & Whitman, William Y. Cooper: Beyond Imagination, and The Unseen: Works from the Collection. 
 
Embracing Earth: Burchfield & Whitmanis part of an ongoing series of exhibitions exploring the relationships between the works of Charles E. Burchfield and the works of other artists. This exhibition will show how Burchfield and American poet Walt Whitman expressed parallel perceptions of nature through visual art, poetry, and prose. 
 
William Y. Cooper: Beyond Imagination celebrates the legacy of the beloved visual artist, writer, educator, and community member. A self-proclaimed Afrocentric artist, Cooper's African heritage and American experience infuse his vibrant and intricate works. 
 
Most museums display only about 3% of their collections at a given time, according to the American Alliance of Museums. In the exhibition, The Unseen: Works from the Collection, visitors will have the opportunity to discover recent acquisitions and rediscover works from the Burchfield Penney vaults.  
 
All three exhibitions will open to the public on M&T Second Friday, July 12, 2024, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. and remain on view through October 27, 2024. July M&T Second Friday will also feature live Americana music by Ten Cent Howl. Burchfield Penney Members are invited to preview the exhibitions on July 11, 2024, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. 
 
 
SUPPORT FOR THE EXHIBITIONS 

Embracing Earth: Burchfield & Whitman and the accompanying publication are made possible by major support from the Charles E. Burchfield Foundation, Inc. and funds provided by Lora Spiller, Harley Spiller,  and Jill Spiller Underwood in loving memory of their parents Harriet & Mortimer Spiller.  Additional generous support given by Dr. Carol R. Angle; Brian D. Baird and Barbara P. Baird; John F. Darby and Candace K. Darby; and anonymous donors.  We are grateful to Sam Magavern for his wonderful support and collaboration as co-curator of this exhibition. 

 
William Y. Cooper: Beyond Imagination is presented through the support of our Burchfield Penney members. We are thankful to Glendora Johnson-Cooper and all of the individual collectors for generously sharing this work with the community. 
 
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. 

 For Immediate Release 
 
Contact: Julia Norris 
Director of Communications 
Burchfield Penney Art Center 
norrisjl@buffalostate.edu 
716-878-3457