The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is pleased to present a lecture by Howard Hull, executive director or Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin in England's Lake District, and Ruskin scholar, on Thursday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m. Hull's lecture, The Root of All the Connections, will focus on The English Arts & Crafts Movement, John Ruskin and William Morris. The lecture will take place at the Burchfield-Penney, 3rd floor, Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College and is free and open to the public.

A scholar at Christ's Hospital, Sussex, Hull graduated from St. Peter's College, Oxford in 1975. He taught Art History in the Oxford Overseas Studies Group before moving on to teach English and Drama at Gordonstoun, where he tutored members of the British Royal Family. In the mid 1980s, he was a founding partner of the Support Group, an arts, education and event management company, responsible for organizing a number of large public festivals and celebrations. He subsequently directed the development offices of both the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the Royal Collage of Art. Hull has also enjoyed a distinguished career as an artist, with more than thirty exhibitions to his name. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of the Arts.

Brantwood, in the English Lake District, is the former home of John Ruskin, writer, artist, and thinker. Ruskin's influence stretched from the founders of the Welfare State and England's National Trust to education reform and the development of public museums. He is considered to be the founder of the Arts & Craft movement and inspired the Pre-Raphaelites, prophesied climate change and almost single-handedly rescued the cultural heritage of Venice. Tolstoy, Gandhi, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust and Frank Lloyd Wright can be counted among his many disciples. He lived the last thirty years of his life in this house, perched on the hillside overlooking the Lakes, commanding views as magnificent as any in the country. The property is now preserved by the Ruskin Foundation and the Brantwood Trust.

This lecture by Howard Hull is being presented as part of The Connection 2004. The Foundation @ Roycroft, The Roycroft Inn, Style 1900 Magazine, Ashton Drye Associates and other Arts & Crafts enthusiasts have joined forces with the Chautauqua Institution in presenting a week-end conference showcasing the History, Philosophy and Art of the Arts & Crafts Movement at the turn of the last century.

An Arts & Crafts Conference - The Connection: 2004 An Historic Arts & Crafts Trail will take place on September 24, 25, 26, 2004 on the National Historic grounds of the Chautauqua Institution. The theme is to showcase the impressive historic cultural trail that is in the Western New York area. Highlights will focus on the history and connections of both the Roycroft and Chautauqua Institution with also a close look at the work of Frank Lloyd Wright in the area. For more information about The Connection 2004, visit the conference Web site at www.roycroftconference.com.

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 Erie County. Additional operating support is provided by the Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Trust, the James Carey Evans Endowment, the Mary A. H. Rumsey Foundation and charitable contributions by museum members and visitors.