Burchfield Penney Art Center opens exhibit ahead of solar eclipse
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A lot of eyes will be on the sky for April 8’s total solar eclipse, and many organizations throughout Western New York are thinking ahead of the historic day — including the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
“I think that this exhibition really helps us see ourselves in the world a different way and I think art has that power for all people and all places,” Scott Propeack, Burchfield Penney Art Center Executive Director, said. “But in this case, I think that is a precursor to a massive event and it maybe helps us think about what it’s going to be like before it happens.”
Western New York is in the direct path of totality for the solar eclipse. However, if you don’t want to wait till April, you can see the sun in a new light at the Burchfield Penney Art Center without any fancy glasses needed.
“Here we encourage you to stare right into the sun but a photograph of the sun,” Julia Norris, Burchfield Penney Arts Center communications manager, said. “And in those photographs you’ll be able to see the incredible textures and details of the sun that we can’t see with the naked eye.”
The Total Solar Eclipse and Astral Visions: Works by Charles E. Burchfield and Alan Friedman exhibit pairs the two artists’ works to teach more about the sun, moon and stars through art.
“In Burchfield’s work we’re looking at his representations of the sky, his love of the stars and celestial bodies and pairing it with the photography of Alan Friedman who takes wonderful wonderful pictures of the sun through a telescope with different lenses so we can get a better idea of what’s actually happening with the sun,” Propeack said.
This exhibit is the first of many events that are on the horizon in honor of the eclipse, as Buffalo State University plans to have an “Eclipse and Sips” beer-tasting event, programs at the planetarium and on the day of the eclipse, you can buy tickets to gather together on Coyer Field to watch the moon cover the sun as a community.
“It will be an amazing shared experience with our community, kind of a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Norris said.
The exhibit will run now through June 30, and every second Friday of the month, admission is free at the art center.
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