I have to admit my house feels a bit empty these days since 75 pieces of my art have temporarily taken up residence at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The good news is that I know my paintings are in expert hands with the Burchfield staff, under the lead of Curatorial Associate, Tiffany Gaines.
.The reason my art is at the Burchfield, three months ahead of the exhibition opening, is to prep each work for hanging. That includes cataloguing and inspecting every painting, allowing the canvases to adjust to the museum atmosphere, determining which works should be framed and which can stand alone, stretching and framing canvases, and the auxiliary work of writing and producing a catalogue of every piece of art.
Then, the real work begins---the laying out and hanging of the entire exhibition, including the student artists’ work, ---a task that Tiffany estimates will take up to three weeks.
One of the Burchfield staff working closely with Tiffany in preparing the art is Rosario Pitta. Rosario’s official title is Registrar, which he defines as the “librarian,” for the museum. Yet in watching him move thoughtfully through each of his tasks for this exhibition, it’s clear that his work is about much more than cataloguing.
No doubt, when at last the doors open to the LEROI: Living in Color Exhibition, the display of each work of art will reflect both Tiffany and Rosario’s attention to detail, and their passion for and dedication to their craft.
LEROI: Living in Color Exhibition includes the work of students from Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT,) Buffalo Public Schools (BPS,) Just Buffalo Literary Center (JBLC,) and Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center. The exhibition will be on view at the Burchfield Penney Art Center through March 26, 2023, presented by M&T Bank, with additional support from organizations and individuals throughout the Western New York community.