The Daily Bulletin Archive

Please join us for a panel discussion, "A Celebration of Trees: Charles Burchfield and the Buffalo State Arboretum" on Thursday, September 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

As part of the exhibition Burchfield’s Arboretum, on view at the Burchfield Penney Art Center until December 2, the center presents a panel discussion celebrating trees and the past and present efforts of members and friends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum.

Edna M. Lindemann and others at Buffalo State College founded the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum in 1962. This collection of trees planted throughout the campus was started, in part, because of the loss of the American elm trees that once lined Elmwood Avenue and other streets in the city of Buffalo to Dutch elm disease. In 1966, Dr. Lindemann became founding director of the Charles Burchfield Center, now the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Today this important collection, which has changed in many ways over the years, is maintained by Buffalo State College and supported by the Friends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum, a group founded in 2016 to work with campus and community members to support and restore the arboretum and make it an accredited arboretum that is recognized as being among the best in the United States.

The panel will be moderated by exhibition curator Tullis Johnson.

Panelists:

Sarah Chapman, horticulture supervisor of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum at Buffalo State. She holds a B.A. in media study from the University at Buffalo and an A.S. in horticulture from Niagara County Community College. She has worked as an industry professional for 10 years, earning her Certified Nursery and Landscaper (CNLP) status in the process. She currently serves on the executive board of the Friends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum.

Susan McCartney, special adviser to the provost for economic development at Buffalo State and director of the Buffalo State Small Business Development Center. She is a member of the executive board for the Friends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum. She holds degrees in biology (B.S.), art history (B.A.), management (M.B.A.), and higher education administration (Ph.D.). She is deeply engaged in the community and her areas of expertise include entrepreneurship, strategic management, and urban economic development.

Robert Warren, associate professor of biology at Buffalo State. He is a member of the Friends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum and director of the Center for Urban Ecology Research. He holds degrees in journalism (B.A.), biology (M.S.), and ecology (Ph.D.) and completed postdoctoral work in biology and environmental studies. His area of expertise is global change ecology, which focuses on the impacts of climate change, non-native species, and anthropogenic land-use on ecological interactions.

Rita M. Zientek, associate dean of the School of the Professions at Buffalo State. She holds degrees in accounting (B.S.), student personnel administration (M.S.), and higher education administration (Ph.D.). Along with Dr. McCartney, she devised the idea of creating the Friends of the Maud Gordon Holmes Arboretum group as a way to work with Karen O’Quin, chair of the Campus Beautification Committee, to enhance the look of the campus.

This event is free with gallery admission. Gallery admission is free for Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students and Burchfield Penney members.