Townsend Shares Exploration of Architectural Sites as Inspiration

Carol Townsend, associate professor of art and design, will present “Ancient Art History Comes Alive” on Tuesday, February 26, at 12:15 p.m. in Upton Hall 230 as the first in the spring 2019 “Artists on the Road: Travel as Source of Inspiration” series.

Townsend will share her exploration of architectural sites on the Greek mainland and the islands of Mykonos and Santorini, including Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, and Akrotiri.

“I grew up on a dairy farm in the foothills of the Catskills with our nearest neighbors living more than a mile away,” she said. “I discovered that there was a much bigger world out there through reading National Geographic magazines in doctors’ offices.”

She agrees with the late chef and travel writer Anthony Bourdain who said,” It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn.”

Townsend said she favors study tours over vacations because of the intensive learning that is possible. She has toured China, Japan, Rwanda, France, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, and Poland among countries in recent years. She added that there are still plenty of places left on her bucket list.

This quote by an anonymous source, “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us” inspired her 11 semesters ago to create “Artists on the Road.” She invites three faculty members or students each semester to share their travel experiences with the campus. All the talks are free and open to everyone. She said she hopes that hearing such talks will encourage listeners to launch their own travels.

Townsend has served as past chair of Buffalo State’s Design Department and past president of the Buffalo Society of Artists. Her works in ceramics and mixed media have been exhibited widely, including a two-person show at the Liptov Gallery of the Peter Michal Bohun Museum of Art in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia. She is included in the permanent collection of the Burchfield Penney Art Center and her work has appeared in numerous publications. She is also a published poet, and many of her poems reflect her travels.

The second presenter this spring will be Kenneth Payne, professor of fine art, with his talk “Big Art and Hot Iron: Sculpture Travels Through Eastern Europe” on March 19. Josef Bajus, associate professor of design, will round up the spring series with “Prayer for the Inca: Inspiration Found in Peru’s Sacred Valley” on April 23.  Both will be held in Upton 230 at 12:15 p.m.

The “Artists on the Road” series is co-sponsored by the Art and Design Department and the Office of Global Engagement. For more information, call (716) 878-4986.

Photo: Carol Townsend standing in front of the Cape Sounion Temple of Poseidon, Greece