Buffalo State

The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is very pleased to present An Alternative Course: The Art Institute of Buffalo (1931-1956), which will be on view at the museum from July 14 – September 3, 2006. An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 14 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. In addition, the Burchfield-Penney will host a discussion entitled The Art Institute of Buffalo As They Knew It featuring David Pratt and Joe Orffeo on Sunday, August 27 at 2:00 p.m.

2006 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Art Institute of Buffalo. The Art Institute was launched in 1931 as part of the Buffalo Education Service under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Founding co-directors were Dr. William M. Hekking, who had just stepped down as director of the Albright Art Gallery, and Harry M. Bell. Nationally acclaimed artists who served as faculty included Edwin Dickinson (1891– 1978), who in winter painted large, dreamlike hallucinations with bizarre spatial shifts; social realist Isaac Soyer (1902 – 1981), renowned watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), and abstract landscapist Earl B. Stroh (1924 – 2005).

Among the faculty who are recognized as being among the best artists of Western New York were William B. Rowe, Robert N. Blair, David Pratt, Jean MacKay Henrich, Catherine Catanzaro Koenig, Don Burns, William Ehrich, William Seitz, Mary and Richard Carroll, Henry Gorski, Louise Jameyson, Gerald Gross, James Vullo, Rix Jennings, Oliver Lomax, Faith Davis, and Anthony Sisti. A sampling of students who developed accomplished careers as artists includes Joe Orffeo, Jeanette Kenney Blair, Walter A. Prochownik, Joseph Eger, William E. West Sr., Joseph Caruana, and Hannah Samuels. Many people who had served in the armed forces were able to attend Art Institute classes on the G. I. Bill. In fact, the Art Institute played a unique role in analyzing and training industrial camouflage, the first such course in the country, conducted with permission of the corps of engineers of the war department.

The Art Institute of Buffalo started as a small teaching institution at the Grosvenor Library at 369 Franklin Street, moved to the Edwards Building at West Genesee and Franklin Streets, and then was housed at 56 Starin Avenue through June 27, 1942. The Art Institute began its Fall Semester of classes on September 14, 1942 in new headquarters at 530 Elmwood Avenue near West Utica. In 1943 they were listed as being at 1231 Elmwood Avenue. Subsequently, they expanded to hold classes at 527-535 Elmwood Avenue at West Utica Street. It closed in 1956.

"The Art Institute was not about being a student; it was about being an artist. The instructors – Robert Blair, David Pratt, Henry Gorski – were friends and mentors who "taught" by example rather than through traditional teaching methods," artist Joe Orffeo attended the Art Institute in 1942 – 43 and worked on Art Diploma Projects from 1946 – 50 said. "It produced a creative energy that I imagine that 1920s Paris may have been like."

"The Art Institute of Buffalo is emblematic of the arts tradition in Buffalo – it represents what can be achieved when importance is put on the arts and the lasting legacy that was created for Western New York, said Scott Propeack, collections manager at the Burchfield-Penney and organizer of An Alternative Course.

An Alternative Course: The Art Institute of Buffalo (1931– 1956) is being presented thanks to the generosity of The Vogt Family Foundation.

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. The new Burchfield-Penneywill stand on 4.9 acres at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Rockwell Road. The 75,000 square foot museum, designed by Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects, is scheduled to open in spring 2008. For more information, call (716) 878-6011 or visit www.burchfield-penney.org.

http://www.burchfield-penney.org

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