About the Archives + Study Center

The Burchfield Penney Art Center maintains and builds on an existing collection of artist files for over 8,000 Buffalo and regional artists and institutions, both past and present. Of these records, our most expansive content is focused on the artists in our permanent collection. This information includes letters, slides, clippings, other ephemera, and biographical information, and has been assembled through the direct donation of objects and information from family members and collectors.

The Burchfield Penney archives are accessible to researchers through the Edna M. Lindemann Study Center. 

The Edna M. Lindemann Study Center at the Burchfield Penney is named in honor of the contributions of the museum's founding director, Dr. Edna M. Lindemann. With the support of Buffalo State College and the Western New York community, Dr. Edna M. Lindemann was instrumental in creating the Charles E. Burchfield Center at Buffalo State College. A personal friend of artist Charles Burchfield and his family, she served as the museum’s founding director and curator from its opening in 1966 until her retirement in 1985.

Lindemann began her career at Buffalo State as an assistant professor of art education in 1954. She became an assistant professor of design, director of cultural affairs, and assistant to the director for planning and development. During the 1960s, she helped to design interior and exterior college spaces, preserved architectural fragments and artifacts from landmark Buffalo buildings and was instrumental in developing the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum at Buffalo State College.

Later, as assistant professor of design, she taught exhibition techniques classes. Lindemann earned a Bachelor of Science degree in art education, with distinction, from the University of Buffalo in 1936, while also receiving a diploma from the Albright Art School. She earned a Master of Arts degree in art, magna cum laude, from Northwestern University in 1939. She studied from 1940 to 1942 at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she trained in architectural design under Eliel Saarinen and earned a doctorate in education from Columbia University’s Teachers’ College in 1956.

Upon her retirement Edna Lindemann was awarded the distinction of director emerita and remained active on the Burchfield Penney Art Center Council until her passing on September 15, 2006.

For more information on the history of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, visit The Museum History.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center holds the archives of the following artists and arts organizations. Most collections listed below have inventories. If a finding aid exists for the collection, the link is included below. 

Archives Access Policy

The Archives at the Burchfield Penney Art Center contain significant (and in some cases, the most comprehensive) records on the arts and artists of the region, including tens of thousands of clippings, journals, sketches, recordings, and other materials. Public access is during weekday hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment only. Please email burchfld@buffalostate.edu to schedule an appointment. Although the Archives are open to the public, priority is given to our membership when scheduling time in the Archives.

Research Requests Policy and Procedure

The Burchfield Penney Art Center will conduct research, when possible, regarding artists and arts organizations of Western New York. After an initial review of our archival holdings, to ascertain the extent of material available, we will make a recommendation regarding what research is possible. After the initial review, the cost for research is $200 per hour. To inquire about Charles E. Burchfield, please email Nancy Weekly. To inquire about other Western New York-related arts topics, please email burchfld@buffalostate.edu.