Quilts by Daisy Anderson on View at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center

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The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is pleased to announce an exhibition of quilts by quilt maker Daisy Anderson from August 16 through October 12, 2003. This presentation is being held in conjunction with the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s visit to Buffalo Harbor this fall.

A number of Mrs. Anderson’s quilts incorporate symbols believed to have been used to convey coded information to slaves about Underground Railroad sites. Also on display will be Amistad-inspired Poetry Quilts created by students in Liberty Partnerships and Upward Bound, two pre-collegiate programs at Buffalo State College.

“The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is delighted to present the quilts of Daisy Anderson as part of the wide range of activities that have been organized in conjunction with the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s visit to Buffalo Harbor this fall,” said Ted Pietrzak, executive director of the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. “One of the strengths of the Western New York community is the willingness to collaborate to ensure the success of a community-wide undertaking such as this, and once again the region has responded through the wonderful activities scheduled as part of the Buffalo Niagara Amistad Experience

Buffalo-resident Daisy Anderson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1922. She attended the Indiana State Teachers’ College and later transferred to Buffalo State College where she received her bachelor’s degree in home economics and master’s degree in elementary education and is member of the Phi Epsilon Omicron Honor Society in Home Economics. Mrs. Anderson taught for 25 years in Buffalo public schools.

Quilting was not a tradition in Mrs. Anderson’s family. Her interest in the art stemmed from a quilt she saw displayed in the AM&A’s department store in Buffalo; however, she did not begin quilting until her retirement from teaching in 1984. Mrs. Anderson always used traditional patterns in her quilt designs, but it was not until she read Hidden in Plain View by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, PhD that she realized the potential significance of the symbols and patterns to the Underground Railroad.

Mrs. Anderson’s work has been displayed at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, Buffalo Museum of Science, the Joy Gallery at New Mt. Ararat Temple of Prayer, the Salvation Army, Blessed Sacrament Church and the Langston Hughes Institute.

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, contact the Burchfield-Penney Art Center at (716) 878-6011 or visit www.burchfield-penney.org.

About the Freedom Schooner Amistad

Freedom Schooner Amistad is the re-creation of the 19th Century wooden cargo vessel La Amistad, the setting for The Amistad Incident of 1839. 53 Africans, kidnapped from West Africa, staged a revolt aboard the original ship and embarked on a quest for their freedom. The ship was eventually seized off the coast of Long Island and the Africans were jailed. Their struggle culminated in American’s first human rights case, argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court by former President John Quincy Adams. Today, Freedom Schooner Amistad tours the nation and the world sharing the lessons of equality, perseverance and American freedom as a floating classroom and living museum. Visit www.amistadamerica.org for more information.

About The Buffalo Niagara Amistad Experience

Join us for The Buffalo Niagara Amistad Experience, presented by KeyBank, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and Tops Friendly Markets. A full schedule of exhibits, concerts, lectures, community discussions and family activities will be presented leading up to, during and after the ship’s visit. For full schedule information, visit www.bechs.org.



Media Contact:
Kathleen Heyworth, Public Relations, Burchfield-Penney Art Center | 7168784529 | heyworkm@buffalostate.edu