On The Trail of World Class Art
by Laura Shea
Along the Seaway Trail there are many hidden treasures. Beautiful vistas, quaint villages, and major metropolitan areas offer many opportunities for exploring. Many people are unaware, however, that along the Seaway Trail are world-class art collections boasting works by such artists as Picasso, van Gogh, Monet, and Frederic Remington. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, the Castellani Art Museum in Niagara Falls, and the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, provide visitors with a glimpse of the various movements in the art history of the world. In Ogdensburg, the Frederic Remington Art Museum is dedicated to the works of a single, yet highly influential artist, Frederic Remington. These four art institutions are the largest along the Seaway Trail but are by no means the only art to be found as you explore the region.
The Galleries
Considered an outstanding center for modern art, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery provides visitors an in-depth survey of art history. Its parent organization, the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy was founded in 1862, becoming the Albright Art Gallery in 1905 and finally the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in 1962. During its history, many firsts have taken place. For example, in 1910, it presented the first exhibition of photography in the United States and named Cornelia Bentley Sage Quinton its director, the first woman to direct a major art museum. The permanent collection of over 6,000 works ranges from a Mesopotamian figure dated 3000 B.C. to works from the modern art movements. A large selection of works by Picasso, Mondrian, Miro, and Derain represent Cubism, surrealism, con-structivism, and other trends of the 1920s and 30s. The collection is also rich in American and European art of the past fifty years. Each year special exhibitions are displayed highlighting individual artists or art-historical interest. The Garden Restaurant provides a great place to take a break from the galleries for lunch or dessert. And, before you leave the museum, be sure to stop in the Gallery Shop for a memento of your visit. Please note that the gallery will be undergoing renovations during 1998. Some special exhibitions will be on display at the Anderson Art Gallery (Martha Jackson Place, Buffalo; 716.834.2579). Admission fees will be adjusted at that time.
Dedicated in 1990, the Castellani Art Museum, on the campus of Niagara University, not only offers a permanent collection of over 3,000 works representative of the major art movements but also serves as a venue to promote the arts of Western New York.
Whether you are looking for art from pre-Columbian times, landscapes from the Hudson River School artists Jasper Francis Cropsey and Albert Bierstadt, works from 20th century contruction-ists Louise Nevelson and Robert Rauschenburg or anything in between, you are sure to find it at the Castellani Art Museum. Its strong tie to Western New York provides a forum for alternative cultural outlooks demonstrated by collaborating with local ethnic and minority communities to help preserve and present traditional arts. Temporary exhibitions presented at the Castellani echo its ongoing commitment to highlighting social and cultural issues.
A short drive along the Seaway Trail from Niagara Falls to Rochester brings you to yet another substantial collection of art of the world. Founded in 1913, the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester is one of few university-affiliated art galleries to also serve as a public art museum.
Spanning fifty centuries of art, the permanent collection at the Memorial Art Gallery boasts works by masters such as Monet, Cezanne, Matisse, Homer, and Cassatt. The Dorothy McBride Gill Education Center's Looking Laboratory provides the young visitor a different way of looking at art through interactive displays. Each year the Memorial Art Gallery offers fifteen temporary exhibitions of works from its permanent collection, other collections, and contemporary regional artists.
To take a break from your visit, stop in the outstanding Gallery Store to find books, reproductions, and handcrafted jewelry for the perfect gift or memento. You can satisfy your appetite with an enjoyable meal at Cutler's Restaurant. While in Rochester, make plans to also visit the George Eastman House, Strong Museum and the Rochester Museum and Science Center, conveniently located near the Memorial Art Gallery.
As you venture to the Northern New York area of the Seaway Trail you will find yourself in the small city of Ogdensburg. Located on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, the Frederic Remington Art Museum may be one of the best kept secrets of the area. Welcoming visitors from across the country and around the world since 1923, the Frederic Remington Art Museum is the only museum dedicated to the artist whose images of cowboys, Native Americans, and soldiers have illustrated history books and formed our view of the history of the American West.
After undergoing a major expansion project in 1997, the Museum now provides visitors a look into the life of Remington (1861-1909) through displays of personal possessions and artist tools. Its permanent collection contains over 70 major oil paintings, 16 bronze sculptures, hundreds of watercolors, and scores of pen & ink illustrations. A temporary exhibition gallery hosts displays of works by local and regional artists.
A large gallery which changes once a year, provides exhibits of works by nationally recognized artists as well as displays of Remington works which provides insight into the artist's style. The Museum Shop offers a wide selection of Remington related merchandise as well as Native American books and music and many other items.
Two smaller art collections that should be included in your exploration of the Seaway Trail region are the Erie Art Museum and the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. In Erie, Pennsylvania, an area rich in nautical history, you'll find the Erie Art Museum. Founded in 1898, the museum's permanent collection consists of over 4,000 objects, including American ceramics, Japanese prints, Tibetan thangkas, Chinese porcelains, and Indian bronzes. Many local and nationally recognized artists are included in the museum collection.
A large staircase welcomes you to the museum housed in an impressive 1839 Greek Revival building, formerly a customs house. While in Erie be sure to visit Discovery Square, a cooperative expansion which includes the Erie Art Museum, Erie County Historical Society which operates the Erie History Center, and ExpERIEnce Children's Museum. There is sure to be something to satisfy each member of the family.
Located across the street from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo is the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, dedicated to renowned American water colorist, Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967). As the Museum for Western New York Arts, the Burchfield-Penney Art Center houses the largest collection of Burchfield works and more than 5,400 works by contemporary and historic Western New York artists. For the young and young at heart, be sure to stop in the Useum, a hands-on gallery for children, families, and visitors with special needs.
GallerY info
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
1285 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
716.882.8700 * www.albrightknox.org
Open Tues-Sat 11am-5pm. Sun 12-5pm.
Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Adm: adults, $4;
students & seniors, $3; members & children 12 & under, free; free to all
Sat 11am-1pm
Burchfield-Penney Art Center
Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College
1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
716.878.6011 burchfld@snybufaa.cs.snybuf.edu
Open Tues-Sat 10-5:00 pm; Wed to 7:30 pm; Sun 1-5 pm; Closed Mon &
holidays. Free; $3 donation is requested at the door.
Castellani Art Museum
Niagara University
2702 La Salle, Niagara Falls, NY 14109
716.286.8200 * cam@niagara.edu
www.niagara.edu/~cam
Open Sun 1-5 pm; Wed-Sat 11am-5pm
Closed most Niagara University holidays
Admission: Free
Erie Art Museum
411 State St, Erie, PA16501
814.459.5477; erieartm@erie.net
www.erie.net/~erieartm/
Open Tues-Sat 11am-5pm; Sun 1-5pm; Closed Mondays & major holidays.
Admission: Adults, $1.50; senior citizens and students, $.75; children
under 12, $.50; members, free. Wed, free to all.
Memorial Art Gallery
500 University Ave, Rochester, NY 14607
716.473.7720; maginfo@mag.rochester.edu
www.rochester.edu/MAG/
Open Sun 1-5pm; Tues 12-9pm; Wed-Fri 10am-4pm; Sat 10am-5pm; Closed
Mondays, Christmas, New Year's. Admission: adults, $5; college students
(with ID) & seniors, $4; children 6-18, $3; members & University of
Rochester students, free
Frederic Remington Art Museum
303 Washington St, Ogdensburg, NY 13669
315.393.2425; broncho@northnet.org
www.northnet.org/broncho
Open May 1-Oct 31: Sun 1-5pm; Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Nov 1-Ap 30: Sun 1-5pm;
Wed-Sat 11am-5pm; Closed New Year's, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
Admission: adults, $4; seniors & students (6-22), $3; organized tour
groups, $3; members & children 5 and under, free.
Juried shows
During your travels along the Seaway Trail you will find many local and regional arts and crafts shows. Some are small with many hidden treasures while others will leave your head spinning with the wide array of talents displayed. A few are highlighted here but many others can be found throughout the region. For the forty-first year the Allentown Art Festival will be held in Buffalo during June with 400 artists from the U.S. and Canada on hand to exhibit their works. In Lewiston, a week-long series of events takes place along the Niagara River during ArtFest. Rochester's oldest and largest arts show, Clothesline Festival is held each year at the Memorial Art Gallery the weekend after Labor Day featuring works for sale from over 600 artists as well as food and live entertainment. Also not to be missed is the Ellington Village Square Art Show & Sale, where a variety of media are displayed as well as a juried art show, and the Jamestown Audubon Nature Art Show where over forty award-winning artists exhibit their works. And finally, drawing approximately 400 entrants from northwest Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and southern New York, the Annual Spring Show held at the Erie Art Museum typically displays between 60 to 80 works in a variety of media.
The collections and attractions described here are just a sampling of what awaits you as you explore the Seaway Trail region. Contact the museums and galleries at the addresses listed here for more information. They all will be happy to provide all the information necessary to plan an exciting and interesting visit.
Enjoy your visits to the many wonderful collections of world-class art along the Seaway Trail. |