(1922-2014)
The Burchfield Penney Art Center's long-time friend and patron Mortimer Spiller passed away on March 19, 2014 at the age of 91. Mort, as he was known to friends, was a Western New York businessman, collector of art and memorabilia, and jokester with a mischievous sense of humor. He served for decades on the museum’s Advisory Council, and later on the Board of Trustees.
Mort and his wife Harriet became important patrons of the Charles Burchfield Center almost from its inception on December 9, 1966. To celebrate the museum’s tenth anniversary in 1976, they made a significant donation of 285 objects relating to Charles E. Burchfield and 62 works by other artists, including early drawings by Burchfield’s daughter, Catherine. Ten years later, in November 1986, highlights were exhibited in Selections from the Spiller/Burchfield Collection in the then-named Burchfield Art Center. Their collection consisted of materials originally stored in Burchfield’s Gardenville studio.