On select Fridays, the Burchfield Penney Art Center will open the exhibition Burchfield Botanicals to watercolorists to paint in the gallery. This Friday, October 3, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., the featured painting will be On Sunflowers and Dandelions.

Novice paint sets will be available for a $5 rental fee. Participants must check in at admissions before heading to the gallery to sketch, draw, and paint. Only watercolor paint and watercolor pencils will be allowed. Water must be kept in a brush container. Stools will be provided. The workshop is free with gallery admission.

Between the years 1908 and 1911, Charles E. Burchfield created nearly 500 botanical sketches that show the different wildflowers and plants he found in the forests and fields around his childhood home in Salem, Ohio. These sketches are an important document of Burchfield’s early fascination with the natural world.

The exhibition Burchfield Botanicals features Burchfield's masterworks, paired with these botanical sketches and objects from the Marchand Wildflower Collection at the Buffalo Museum of Science. Paul Marchand created "scientifically accurate and artistically superb casts of flowers and mushrooms" as well as dioramas for the museum throughout his career.

Upcoming:
Friday, October 17, 12:15–1:15 p.m. On Hepaticas and Spring Beauties
Friday, October 31, 12:15–1:15 p.m. On Violets and Arrowheads

For further information, please contact Kathy G. Shiroki, ext. 3549.

Father Pat, director of Catholic Campus Ministry, welcomes you to join him for Mass at the Newman Center Chapel, 1219 Elmwood Avenue, on Friday, October 3, at 8:00 a.m. Mass will also be celebrated at the Newman Center at 8:00 a.m. Friday, November 7, and Friday, December 5, as well. All are welcome.

Members of the campus community are invited to submit nominations for the following student awards:

President’s Medal for Outstanding Undergraduate and Graduate Student
One undergraduate student and one graduate student will be awarded the President’s Medal. The President’s Medal is the highest honor awarded to a student by Buffalo State. This award is given to a student who, through use of his or her natural talents and acquired skills, has demonstrated a commitment toward meeting the goals of higher education as set forth in the college’s mission statement. Recipients will deliver the student address at Commencement. A grade point average of at least 3.5 is required for consideration for this award. Only students graduating in December 2014, May 2015, or August 2015 will be considered.*

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
The Chancellor’s Award is the highest honor bestowed by SUNY upon a student. This award recognizes model students who have integrated academic excellence with achievement in areas such as athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, entrepreneurship, leadership, or career achievement. Although there is no prescribed grade point average for this award, it is assumed that recipients will have high academic achievement. Award recipients will be recognized at a spring ceremony in Albany and at Commencement. Only students graduating between June 2014 and May 2015 will be considered.*

Nominations are being sought for both awards. Students must be nominated by a faculty or staff member at Buffalo State. Candidates must have demonstrated the qualities recognized by each award. Selection criteria are similar for each award; however, to be considered for the President’s Medal, a grade point average of 3.5 or higher is required. A student may be nominated for either or both awards.

Selection Criteria for Both Awards
Academic Performance: Documented via grade point average, honors received, rank in class, research, and other scholarly projects.

Citizenship: As measured by college and community service, the quality of extracurricular activities, and/or involvement in professional organizations.

Leadership/Creativity: Documented local, state, national, or international recognition for excellence (e.g., receipt of major national scholarships or athletic awards, or recognition by national or international associations or honor societies).

For graduate students: documented activities related to the discipline of the graduate degree program or other college service, leadership in a professional organization, or community outreach activities related to the field of study.

More information and nomination materials are available on the Student Life website. Nominations and supporting documentation must be delivered to the Student Affairs Office, Cleveland Hall 519, by 4:00 p.m. Monday, December 15.

Those with questions or concerns regarding the application process are encouraged to call Daniel Vélez, associate vice president for student success, at ext. 4631.

*Information will be verified with the Registrar's Office.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center will offer the watercolor workshop "I Never Met a Color I Didn't Like," with instructor Denise Sperry, on Saturday, October 11, from noon to 3:00 p.m. as part of the International Center for Watercolor.

This workshop will focus on color mixing using the nine-color Mission Gold Denise Sperry Landscape Set (included in the workshop fee). Participants will learn to mix a variety of greens found in nature and learn how to use a "mother" color to create unity in paintings.

Denise Sperry is a nationally known artist who developed the Mission Gold Denise Sperry Landscape Paint Set for the Martin F. Weber Company. Her proposal included color-theory charting to establish a diverse palette for watercolor artists. Sperry is known for her rich, vibrant colors and creative depiction of subject. Good design, originality, luminosity, intensity of color, and passion for her subjects are the hallmarks she strives to attain in her paintings.

The cost of the workshop is $70 for members and $80 for not-yet members. The workshop fee includes the Mission Gold Landscape Set of nine colors used during the workshop. To register, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, ext. 3549, or download the registration form (PDF) from the BPAC website.

Kathleen E. Dworak will discuss her painting tools and unique reference materials, followed by a critique, during this lecture and discussion, "My Appreciation of Watercolor: Reflections on Watercolor," part of the International Center for Watercolor, on Friday, October 10, from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The presentation is free with gallery admission.

Dworak will discuss why she chose to paint the subject and her decisions regarding composition, color, and value. She will talk about the struggles and even mistakes made along the way. “I truly believe that we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes,” she said. 

Dworak is an internationally recognized artist who studied art in the Berkshires with artist Dot Huntley. She moved to the Boston, Massachusetts, area, where she continued to draw and became interested in watercolors. Upon returning home to Western New York, Dworak found that her passion had turned to motorcycles and automobiles in addition to her floral, cityscapes, and tropical scenes. www.kedwatercolors.com.

For further information, please contact Kathy G. Shiroki, ext. 3549.

The Small Business Development Center will present "Survive and Thrive: Essentials for Starting Your Own Business," a workshop covering all the essential information needed to start a business, on Wednesday,
October 8, from 8:30 a.m. until noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center (second floor). Specific topics will include creating a business plan; competition analysis; and tax, legal, and insurance issues. The workshop is free for Buffalo State faculty, staff, students, and alumni and U.S. military veterans and $20 for all others.

Registration will take place immediately before the workshop, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. To register in advance, please call the SBDC at ext. 4030. For further information, please visit the SBDC website.

On behalf of the Buffalo State Campus Intercultural Committee, the International Student Affairs Office is delighted to invite all internationally minded faculty, staff, and students to attend our well-known weekly International Social Hour, which allows all international students, scholars, and their friends to meet informally. This special get-together will take place Thursday, October 2, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Assembly Hall 1 of the Campbell Student Union. The guest speaker that day will be Fajri Ansari, head varsity basketball coach, who will present “The Meaning of the Koran and Islam.”

Coffee, tea, and other light refreshments will be graciously shared. Looking forward to seeing you on the 2nd.

Participants will create their own watercolor paintings, inspired by Charles E. Burchfield’s Wind-Blown Asters, during this Painting Uncorked workshop with Jody Ziehm and Beverly DiPalma, part of the International Center for Watercolor, on Thursday, October 16, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

The cost is $55 for members and $65 for not-yet members. All materials will be provided: paint, brushes, paper, and aprons. Wine and hors d'oeuvres are included.

Participants will leave with their own original 11-by-14-inch painting, matted and ready to frame.

Painting Uncorked is a fun painting experience with step-by-step instruction. Participants will create their own watercolor, no experience necessary. The workshop is set in a casual atmosphere, and Ziehm and DiPalma have a friendly approach to their instruction. Participants will be inspired by Charles E. Burchfield’s Wind-Blown Asters, 1951, watercolor on paper, currently on exhibit in the Burchfield Botanicals exhibition. The instructors promise that participants will be amazed with their finished watercolors. Come alone or with a group of friends and family.

Jody Ziehm is a full-time award-winning watercolor artist, teaching watercolor classes at Partners in Art and at the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village. She also hosts a watercolor show on Time Warner Cable and teaches workshops throughout Western New York and Canada and at the Chautauqua Institution.

Beverly DiPalma has a degree in graphic design and has been an art director and creative director in advertising for over 30 years. She combines her personality and passion for art and design into creative watercolor results.

To register for this workshop, please contact Kathy Gaye Shiroki, ext. 3549, or download the registration form (PDF) from the BPAC website.

A new web page is available on the Registrar's Office website, Registration Toolkit. This page lists all important links needed for information related to registration preparation. Be sure to bookmark it.

The deadline for submissions for the 15th annual Faculty and Staff Research and Creativity Fall Forum has been extended to Tuesday, September 30. Titles and abstracts or descriptions must be submitted electronically using   the online form.

Current submissions are available online for review; click on a title to read the abstract.

All faculty and staff members are invited to organize an exhibit to present current research, creative activities, or other scholarship. Individual, departmental, or group exhibits are welcome.

The 2014–2015 academic year has been declared the Year of the Innovator, recognizing the collaborative spirit and creative mindset that is valued at Buffalo State. Hosted by the School of the Professions, the year will focus on innovative achievements across campus in multiple academic disciplines. If your submission relates to or supports this theme, please include it in the box on the submission form.