Utica, N.Y. — Enhance your experience of Munson’s enchanting summer exhibition “Watercolor Stories: The Art of Charles E. Burchfield” with a variety of creative and educational programs. 
Explore your backyard with the Cornell Cooperative Extension as master gardener volunteers lead two presentations: “Creating a Shade Garden” on July 22 and “Good Bugs, Bad Bugs…and the Complicated Ones” on Aug. 5. Both presentations begin at 11 a.m. and admission is $10 for Munson Members and $15 for the general public for each presentation.
Inspired by Burchfield’s paintings, members of the Central New York Watercolor Society are leading two workshops to help you exercise your creative skills: “Plein Air Sketching and Watercolor Painting with Sue Murphy” on Aug. 12 and “Stylized Shapes from Nature with Pamela Lynch” on Aug. 19. Another workshop, “Surface Pattern Design with Julie Gratien” on Aug. 26, offers you the opportunity to create your own repeating designs similar to wallpaper patterns designed by Burchfield. All workshops are from 1 to 4 p.m. and cost $40 for Munson Members and $50 for the general public.
You can also try your hand at various “Watercolor Stories” After-Hours Experiences. The first workshop, Calligraphy Café with Rachel Bartunek, takes place on July 22 and is $45 for Munson Members and $55 for the general public. Next, join Quilling Café with Sandie Craven-Griffiths on Aug. 5. Tickets are $35 for Munson Members and $45 for the general public. The final program, Terrarium Workshop: Build Your Own Tiny World with Rachel Stewart, takes place on Aug. 19 and is $60 for Munson Members and $70 for the general public.
Bring your lunch to the Museum and enjoy the return of the popular Lunch & Listen series with concerts at noon every Friday in August. Listen to live performances of music by composers Charles E. Burchfield admired, paired with readings from his journals and letters to Edward Root.
For a full-day experience, take a magical botanical bus tour to western New York. Begin the day at Ganondagan State Historic Site and explore Haudenosaunee contributions to art, culture, and society. Then, visit Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, where you’ll enjoy lunch before touring the estate’s historic gardens and elegant 19th-century mansion. A tram is available for those with limited mobility. The trip costs $155 for Munson Members and $175 for the general public and includes transportation, guided tours at both sites, and lunch at the Gardener’s Café. Registration is required by July 22.
“Watercolor Stories: Art of Charles E. Burchfield,” on view through Sept. 13, is $8 for the general public and free for Munson Members. Plan your next visit at munson.art.
The exhibition is co-organized by Munson and the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State University.
Lead Sponsors: Andrew Britton and David Grey; Christian and Cheryl Heilmann; and
Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D. Sponsors: Joseph A. Abraham; Cheryl and Fred Haritatos; Pike Construction Services; Alan Vincent, in memory of Linda Vincent; and Laura and Todd Wetzel MD.
For more information, visit munson.art.
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Munson is at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. For more information, visit munson.art.
About Munson
Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through the renowned Munson Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension center of the prestigious Pratt Institute.
