Visiting the Burchfield Penney Art Center

With the reopening of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in 2023, visual art lovers from around the world are going to make their way to Buffalo to experience the reimagined and reinvigorated museum. They’ll also find themselves looking across Elmwood Avenue at one the best regional art museums in the United States. Located on the campus of Buffalo State University, the Burchfield Penney Art Center is home to the largest collection of work by the great American watercolorist Charles E. Burchfield, who spent most of his life in nearby Gardenville. Its unparalleled Burchfield collection as well as its collection of work by artists who have lived, worked and passed through Western New York demands a visit from the art lover who has completed a visit to the Buffalo AKG. You’re steps away from continuing an extraordinary art experience.

Here are five reasons to visit the Burchfield Penney Art Center:

Charles E. Burchfield: Burchfield is a major American artist whose career spanned more than 50 years. His work was the subject of the first solo artist exhibition in the history of the Museum of Modern Art. Regular exhibitions of his body of work at the Burchfield Penney examine his creative process, sharing journal entries, sketches, notebook jottings and finished work. Of special interest: his studio has been reassembled and installed on the premises.

The Collection: The Burchfield serves as the museum of record for Western New York art and artists. The collection offers a broad and deep look at the art of the region in paintings, watercolors, photographs, sculpture, works on paper and a variety of craft media. Its annual Art in Craft Media exhibition shows off the rich tradition of handcrafted artistry found in the region.

Second Fridays: There’s an unpretentious neighborliness at the Burchfield and its events tend to attract a heterogeneous cross section of the community. What the attendees all seem to have in common is the love of a good time and the Burchfield offers just that every second Friday of the month.  

The Programming: Since the opening of its new building in 2008, the Burchfield has functioned almost as much as a community gathering place as an art museum. A busy calendar of concerts, lectures, classes and workshops keep the museum humming most days. 

The Museum Store: Yes, you can find the usual museum gift shop fare of prints, postcards and tchotchkes. But what distinguishes the BPAC gift shop is the handcrafted work by local artists and artisans, making the Burchfield Museum Store feel like a genuine extension of the museum.

Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 | burchfieldpenney.org