Connecting Science and Art: The "Oh My Heavens" Exhibit at the Burchfield Penney Art Center

Often, science and art are seen as being two entirely different fields, but there are many examples of cross-disciplinary connections between these two areas. The "Oh My Heavens" exhibit at the Burchfield Penney Art Center ran April 12 - August 25, 2013, and explored the accuracies and timing of stars, constellations, planets, and moon phases in some of Charles Burchfield's works. As an artist with a deep reverence for the natural world, it is not surprising that Burchfield was most often quite accurate in the placing of stars in constellations, the relative brightness of stars, and even their colors. The exhibit and corresponding book explore a variety of sketches, journal entries, and completed and uncompleted works, and there is a focus on the constellation Orion, which was Burchfield's favorite. Through this collaboration, experience and expertise from the Burchfield Penney Art Center and the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium were combined into an exhibit that helped connect the fields of art and science. This proved effective and meaningful for visitors to the exhibit including Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students, and supports the need for more collaboration across the disciplines.