Photo above of local gallerist Emily Tucker (center) and attendees to the recent BCAT art exhibit of the works of Wilhelmina Godfrey
As Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) began making plans for the move to their new East Side home, they knew they wanted to open their doors to the local community. When an opportunity to showcase the work of a renowned East Side artist arose, BCAT leadership knew they had found the perfect event to welcome their new neighbors.
In March, BCAT hosted “The Search for Identity, Rediscovering Wilhelmina Godfrey,” an art exhibit featuring the works of the textile artist, painter, printmaker, educator, and community activist. The event was a chance to welcome BCAT students, supporters, and neighbors to BCAT’s new gallery space, while celebrating an artist whose roots were in the East Side neighborhood.
Curated by local gallerists Emily Tucker and Chris Kameck, the exhibit featured 40 works that had been discovered in an unclaimed storage space that once belonged to the artist and was auctioned to a local couple. The new owners contacted Emily who helped them manage and showcase the collection.
Emily, a former BCAT board member and champion of the organization, saw the potential for the artwork to be displayed in a place that would resonate with its community roots. She thought of BCAT immediately as the perfect place for the exhibit and a chance to highlight both the aesthetic value of the work, and its historic and educational value.
According to Emily,”My goal is to make art more accessible to everyone – not just seasoned collectors – and the BCAT exhibit was an opportunity to share the work of this artist in a way that was welcoming and accessible. I am delighted that local residents attended and had a chance to experience her work close up,”
The exhibit was designed to engage visitors throughout BCAT’s gallery space and included a timeline of the artist’s life, as well as a range of mediums including paintings, prints, and woven textiles. 10% of the proceeds from sales of the art went directly to BCAT.
Prior to the exhibit, students in BCAT’s high school afterschool program took time to research her work and life and created a documentary about Godfrey. The film was highlighted at the BCAT exhibit as well as at a concurrent exhibition of Godfrey’s work at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.