Fluxus/Realization on View at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center presents Fluxus/Realization, an exhibition of Fluxus Works and Music Realizations in conjunction with two performances by Buffalo-based ensembles BuffFluxus and Augenmusik. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 6, 2004 from 5:30 7:30 p.m. (free and open to the public), and the exhibition runs through March 21, 2004.
The performances will take place on Sunday, February 15, 2004 and Sunday, February 22, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at the Burchfield-Penney, 3rd floor, Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College. Both concerts are free and open to the public; however, regular museum admission is in effect. Call (716) 878-6011 for more information.
"It was interesting to me that two separate groups from UB (Augenmusik and Bufffluxus), consisting of literature and music students, emerged to re-examine both Fluxus and Music Realizations at the same time," said Don Metz, associate director and head of public programming at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. "For me, it re-emphasizes the importance of Western New York as a venue for contemporary art and performance past, present and future. It then occurred to me that an exhibition of graphic scores and Fluxus images to accompany their performances would be very appropriate.
The Exhibition
Each performance contains Fluxus and Realization works juxtaposed to create a program that captures the creative spirit of these two important movements of the 20th century while illustrating the significance of Western New York artists to these movements.
George Maciunas coined the term Fluxus, an art movement that originated in the late 1950s. Defined as the only true radical and original American art movement, Fluxus, following in the tradition of Dada and Zaum, pushed the barriers placed upon art by art bureaucracy, the museum, gallery, stage, instrument, book and word. Challenging the rigidity of form, Fluxus opened a path that led to new music, performance art and sound and visual poetry and generated its own odd and uniquely beautiful art objects. Within Fluxus the everyday - the otherwise mundane and common - became art and the material of and for art.
Works from the following Fluxus artists will be on view at the Burchfield-Penney: Jackson Mac Low, Alison Knowles, Yoko Ono, Dick Higgins, John Cage, La Monte Young, Christopher Fritton, George Brecht, Christian Wolff, ric royer, Monton Feldman, Michael Basinski, William R. Howe and Earle Brown.
BuffFluxus
BuffFluxus formed as a performance ensemble in 2000 to celebrate and maintain the Flux attitude, to regenerate, reinvigorate and maintain the ideas proposed by Fluxus, and to perform both neo-Flux and Fluxus works. To that end, members of Bufffluxus have created performance works and art objects that maintain the energy and quirky fun of Fluxus. As individual artists and as an ensemble, BuffFluxus artists continue in the tradition of radical exploratory creative endeavors. During the performances at the Burchfield-Penney, BuffFluxus will include Don Metz, ric royer, Brett Masteller, Chelsea Warren, Natalie Basinski, Mark Peters and Michael Basinski.
Augenmusik
Augenmusik specializes in the performance of works with open forms, unusual or indeterminate instrumentation and non-standard notational systems. All members of the group are composers in their own right, bringing a particularly diverse and creative energy to this repertoire. The ensemble is organized in a highly democratic manner - all decisions regarding repertoire, instrumentation and interpretation are made collectively. Augenmusik makes an effort to program works that are either newly-written for the group or which have been neglected by other performing organizations in the United States.
About the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is a museum dedicated to the art and vision of Charles E. Burchfield and distinguished artists of Buffalo Niagara and Western New York State. Through its affiliation with Buffalo State College, the museum encourages learning and celebrates our richly creative and diverse community. For more information, call (716) 878-6011 or visit www.burchfield-penney.org.
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is supported in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and County of Erie. Additional operating support is provided by the Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Trust, the Mary A. H. Rumsey Foundation and the Burchfield-Penney's members.
The performances will take place on Sunday, February 15, 2004 and Sunday, February 22, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at the Burchfield-Penney, 3rd floor, Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College. Both concerts are free and open to the public; however, regular museum admission is in effect. Call (716) 878-6011 for more information.
"It was interesting to me that two separate groups from UB (Augenmusik and Bufffluxus), consisting of literature and music students, emerged to re-examine both Fluxus and Music Realizations at the same time," said Don Metz, associate director and head of public programming at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. "For me, it re-emphasizes the importance of Western New York as a venue for contemporary art and performance past, present and future. It then occurred to me that an exhibition of graphic scores and Fluxus images to accompany their performances would be very appropriate.
The Exhibition
Each performance contains Fluxus and Realization works juxtaposed to create a program that captures the creative spirit of these two important movements of the 20th century while illustrating the significance of Western New York artists to these movements.
George Maciunas coined the term Fluxus, an art movement that originated in the late 1950s. Defined as the only true radical and original American art movement, Fluxus, following in the tradition of Dada and Zaum, pushed the barriers placed upon art by art bureaucracy, the museum, gallery, stage, instrument, book and word. Challenging the rigidity of form, Fluxus opened a path that led to new music, performance art and sound and visual poetry and generated its own odd and uniquely beautiful art objects. Within Fluxus the everyday - the otherwise mundane and common - became art and the material of and for art.
Works from the following Fluxus artists will be on view at the Burchfield-Penney: Jackson Mac Low, Alison Knowles, Yoko Ono, Dick Higgins, John Cage, La Monte Young, Christopher Fritton, George Brecht, Christian Wolff, ric royer, Monton Feldman, Michael Basinski, William R. Howe and Earle Brown.
BuffFluxus
BuffFluxus formed as a performance ensemble in 2000 to celebrate and maintain the Flux attitude, to regenerate, reinvigorate and maintain the ideas proposed by Fluxus, and to perform both neo-Flux and Fluxus works. To that end, members of Bufffluxus have created performance works and art objects that maintain the energy and quirky fun of Fluxus. As individual artists and as an ensemble, BuffFluxus artists continue in the tradition of radical exploratory creative endeavors. During the performances at the Burchfield-Penney, BuffFluxus will include Don Metz, ric royer, Brett Masteller, Chelsea Warren, Natalie Basinski, Mark Peters and Michael Basinski.
Augenmusik
Augenmusik specializes in the performance of works with open forms, unusual or indeterminate instrumentation and non-standard notational systems. All members of the group are composers in their own right, bringing a particularly diverse and creative energy to this repertoire. The ensemble is organized in a highly democratic manner - all decisions regarding repertoire, instrumentation and interpretation are made collectively. Augenmusik makes an effort to program works that are either newly-written for the group or which have been neglected by other performing organizations in the United States.
About the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is a museum dedicated to the art and vision of Charles E. Burchfield and distinguished artists of Buffalo Niagara and Western New York State. Through its affiliation with Buffalo State College, the museum encourages learning and celebrates our richly creative and diverse community. For more information, call (716) 878-6011 or visit www.burchfield-penney.org.
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is supported in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and County of Erie. Additional operating support is provided by the Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Trust, the Mary A. H. Rumsey Foundation and the Burchfield-Penney's members.
Media Contact:
Kathleen Heyworth, Public Relations, Burchfield-Penney Art Center | 7168784529 | heyworkm@buffalostate.edu