Wet & Fresh: A Survey of Current Watercolor In Western New York at the Burchfield-Penney
The Burchfield-Penney Art Center presents Wet & Fresh: A Survey of Current Watercolor in Western New York, on view from April 3 June 27, 2004 with an opening reception on Friday, April 2, 2004 from 5:30 7:30 p.m. This exhibition, the first of its kind at the Burchfield-Penney, will demonstrate how 22 artists from our region, representing six counties of Western New York, are currently using watercolor.
"Wet & Fresh allows us the unique opportunity to examine the diversity of expression and application of the medium of watercolor, said Ted Pietrzak, director of the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. In an era of multimedia art, computer graphics and digital effects, I am pleased to see the continued passion associated with traditional media and the unique contribution it makes to human expression."
Curator of Education Gerald Mead and noted regional watercolorist Rita Argen Auerbach have selected a number of works by fine artists, illustrators and designers which explore the range of styles, approaches and applications of watercolor. The work runs the gamut from photo-realism to abstraction and features the talents of prominent practitioners in the field as well as emerging artists including Lorna Berlin, Philip Burke, Cannon Design, Charles Clough, Thomas Aquinas Daly, Pat Fortunato, Walter Garver, Dianne Hickerson, Robert Holland, Ani Hoover, Yenfen Huang, Margaret M. Martin, Catherine Norgren , Joseph Orffeo, Catherine Parker, David Pratt, Evette Slaughter, Alma Slotkin, Arthur Smith, E. Jane Stoddard, Joseph Whalen and Carol Woodin.
"This curatorial experience has allowed me to view, in an intense and revealing way, other artists' work and more fully appreciate their artistic achievements. It also gave me the unique opportunity to use my "artist's eye" to identify painters using watercolor in a variety of styles, techniques and applications," stated Rita Argen Auerbach, guest curator of Wet & Fresh. "It is significant that the Burchfield-Penney Art Center is presenting a survey of watercolor from our region for the first time since the museum's founding in 1966."
"Western New York has a preponderance of artists working in watercolor, many with national reputations. This survey provides only a small sample of the fine work that is being done, and for every artist included, there are many more working in a similar vein that were worthy of inclusion. To add another dimension to this exhibition, we decided to seek out and recognize artists and designers who are using watercolor in fields outside of fine arts such as illustration, architecture, and theater. Their sensitivity and use of the medium matches that of their fine art colleagues albeit for different aims," added Gerald C. Mead, Jr., curator of education and outreach at the Burchfield-Penney.
A component of Wet & Fresh includes new work by Daly, Garver, Orffeo, Parker, Pratt and Smith, each of whom had comprehensive showings of their work at the Burchfield-Penney. This section of the museum features a reading area with the catalogs that were published for those exhibitions. In addition, an interactive area sponsored by Hyatt's All Things Creative, consists of a variety of brushes, papers and paints that watercolor artists use to create their paintings thus giving viewers a better understanding of the materials and processes related to the medium.
Stephen Doherty, editor-in-chief of American Artist and Watercolor magazines, is the essayist for the color illustrated catalog published to accompany the exhibition. Programming includes a lecture by Mr. Doherty, a panel discussion on watercolor techniques, family and adult workshops, curators' tour and watercolor demonstrations. The Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society is co-sponsoring the demonstrations and adult workshops and lending demonstration videos of several of the artists, and these videos will be shownthroughout Wet & Fresh in an adjacent video viewing room.
Programming:
Saturday, April 3, 2004 at 1:00 p.m.
Lecture by Stephen Doherty (free with paid museum admission)
Thursday, April 15, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Lecture by watercolorist Catherine Parker (free and open to the public)
Sunday, April 18, 2004
FREE DAY at the Burchfield-Penney; no museum admission will be charged
May 2, 2004 at 2:00 p.m.
Curators' Tour with Rita Argen Auerbach and Gerald Mead (free with paid museum admission)
May 19, 20 and 21 from 9:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. daily
Adult Watercolor Workshop led by Scottsdale, Arizona-based watercolorist Betty Carr (registration and fee required; call (716)634-8907 for information)
Thursday, May 20, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Watercolor demonstration by Betty Carr (free and open to the public)
Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Panel discussion: The Who, Why and What of Watercolor with moderator Rita Argen Auerbach and panelists Thomas Aquinas Daly, Margaret M. Martin, Catherine Norgen and Evette Slaughter (free and open to the public)
In conjunction with Wet & Fresh, several area art institutions will also be presenting exhibitions focusing on watercolor including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Brian Art Galleries, the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Market Street Gallery, Meibohm Fine Arts, Hus Var Fine Art Gallery and the Regina Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University.
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 is located on the 3rd floor of Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College. Hours: Sunday: 1:00 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday Saturday: 10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
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. Wet & Fresh: A Survey of Current Watercolor in Western New York is made possible through the generosity of the Zemsky Family Foundation, John and Susan Hoskins, the Richard and Rita Auerbach Family Foundation, Hyatt's All Things Creative, the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, the Margaret E. Mead Endowment, Charles Rand Penney, Richard and Marian Roehmholdt, Lee Rubin and Wendy Warner.
"Wet & Fresh allows us the unique opportunity to examine the diversity of expression and application of the medium of watercolor, said Ted Pietrzak, director of the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. In an era of multimedia art, computer graphics and digital effects, I am pleased to see the continued passion associated with traditional media and the unique contribution it makes to human expression."
Curator of Education Gerald Mead and noted regional watercolorist Rita Argen Auerbach have selected a number of works by fine artists, illustrators and designers which explore the range of styles, approaches and applications of watercolor. The work runs the gamut from photo-realism to abstraction and features the talents of prominent practitioners in the field as well as emerging artists including Lorna Berlin, Philip Burke, Cannon Design, Charles Clough, Thomas Aquinas Daly, Pat Fortunato, Walter Garver, Dianne Hickerson, Robert Holland, Ani Hoover, Yenfen Huang, Margaret M. Martin, Catherine Norgren , Joseph Orffeo, Catherine Parker, David Pratt, Evette Slaughter, Alma Slotkin, Arthur Smith, E. Jane Stoddard, Joseph Whalen and Carol Woodin.
"This curatorial experience has allowed me to view, in an intense and revealing way, other artists' work and more fully appreciate their artistic achievements. It also gave me the unique opportunity to use my "artist's eye" to identify painters using watercolor in a variety of styles, techniques and applications," stated Rita Argen Auerbach, guest curator of Wet & Fresh. "It is significant that the Burchfield-Penney Art Center is presenting a survey of watercolor from our region for the first time since the museum's founding in 1966."
"Western New York has a preponderance of artists working in watercolor, many with national reputations. This survey provides only a small sample of the fine work that is being done, and for every artist included, there are many more working in a similar vein that were worthy of inclusion. To add another dimension to this exhibition, we decided to seek out and recognize artists and designers who are using watercolor in fields outside of fine arts such as illustration, architecture, and theater. Their sensitivity and use of the medium matches that of their fine art colleagues albeit for different aims," added Gerald C. Mead, Jr., curator of education and outreach at the Burchfield-Penney.
A component of Wet & Fresh includes new work by Daly, Garver, Orffeo, Parker, Pratt and Smith, each of whom had comprehensive showings of their work at the Burchfield-Penney. This section of the museum features a reading area with the catalogs that were published for those exhibitions. In addition, an interactive area sponsored by Hyatt's All Things Creative, consists of a variety of brushes, papers and paints that watercolor artists use to create their paintings thus giving viewers a better understanding of the materials and processes related to the medium.
Stephen Doherty, editor-in-chief of American Artist and Watercolor magazines, is the essayist for the color illustrated catalog published to accompany the exhibition. Programming includes a lecture by Mr. Doherty, a panel discussion on watercolor techniques, family and adult workshops, curators' tour and watercolor demonstrations. The Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society is co-sponsoring the demonstrations and adult workshops and lending demonstration videos of several of the artists, and these videos will be shownthroughout Wet & Fresh in an adjacent video viewing room.
Programming:
Saturday, April 3, 2004 at 1:00 p.m.
Lecture by Stephen Doherty (free with paid museum admission)
Thursday, April 15, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Lecture by watercolorist Catherine Parker (free and open to the public)
Sunday, April 18, 2004
FREE DAY at the Burchfield-Penney; no museum admission will be charged
May 2, 2004 at 2:00 p.m.
Curators' Tour with Rita Argen Auerbach and Gerald Mead (free with paid museum admission)
May 19, 20 and 21 from 9:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. daily
Adult Watercolor Workshop led by Scottsdale, Arizona-based watercolorist Betty Carr (registration and fee required; call (716)634-8907 for information)
Thursday, May 20, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
Watercolor demonstration by Betty Carr (free and open to the public)
Thursday, June 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Panel discussion: The Who, Why and What of Watercolor with moderator Rita Argen Auerbach and panelists Thomas Aquinas Daly, Margaret M. Martin, Catherine Norgen and Evette Slaughter (free and open to the public)
In conjunction with Wet & Fresh, several area art institutions will also be presenting exhibitions focusing on watercolor including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Brian Art Galleries, the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Market Street Gallery, Meibohm Fine Arts, Hus Var Fine Art Gallery and the Regina Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University.
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 is located on the 3rd floor of Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College. Hours: Sunday: 1:00 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday Saturday: 10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
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. Wet & Fresh: A Survey of Current Watercolor in Western New York is made possible through the generosity of the Zemsky Family Foundation, John and Susan Hoskins, the Richard and Rita Auerbach Family Foundation, Hyatt's All Things Creative, the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, the Margaret E. Mead Endowment, Charles Rand Penney, Richard and Marian Roehmholdt, Lee Rubin and Wendy Warner.
Media Contact:
Kathleen Heyworth, Head of Marketing and Public Relations | 7168784529 | heyworkm@buffalostate.edu