Exterior Views: The Richardson Olmsted Complex

THE RICHARDSON CENTER CORPORATION AND CEPA GALLERY ANNOUNCE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST WINNERS & EXHIBITION

The Richardson Center Corporation and CEPA Gallery are delighted to announce the winners of the 2016 Richardson Olmsted Complex Photography Contest. The images will be presented in the CEPA Gallery exhibition, Exterior Views: The Richardson Olmsted Complex, on view from Friday, January 27th through March 4, 2017 at CEPA Gallery, 617 Main Street in the historic Market Arcade Building. The exhibition kicks off with an opening reception on Friday, January 27 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. Both the exhibition and the opening reception are free and open to the public.

Over 50 photographs have been selected for display at CEPA Gallery in the exhibition Exterior Views: The Richardson Olmsted Complex. Three winning photographs were chosen: Towers (First Place, by Thomas Lavin of Orinda, CA), Curved Connection (Second Place, by Karen Streech of Buffalo, NY), and Snowy ROC (Third Place, by Dmitry Gudkov of Buffalo, NY). In addition to the gallery exhibition, all of the photos submitted will be shown on the web sites of both organizations, and in a video display at CEPA on opening night.

Photographers were invited to submit any photographs they had taken of the exterior of the Richardson Olmsted Complex, in the following four categories: Details and Abstractions, Juxtapositions, Patterns and Textures, and Light and Dark. Images were reviewed (in a blind review) by a committee of Richardson Center Corporation and CEPA Gallery staff. Upon the closing of the exhibition in March, the contest winners, and others whose photographs were printed and displayed, will get to keep the prints.

Exterior Views: The Richardson Olmsted Complex will offer fascinating perspectives on the iconic structure, illustrating how many ways there are to view one of the most architecturally and historically significant structures in Western New York. This is an extraordinary site, added to the National Register of Historic Places (http://www.nps.gov/Nr/research/) in 1973, and it became a National Historic Landmark (http://www.nps.gov/nhl/) in 1986. More about its history is available at www.richardson-olmsted.com.

The Richardson Center Corporation and CEPA Gallery look forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition to celebrate the photographers and this collaborative effort to bring attention to the rich legacy of the Richardson Olmsted Complex.

About the Richardson Olmsted Complex:
One of Buffalo’s most iconic buildings and a National Historic Landmark, the 140-year-old Richardson Olmsted Complex is being renewed after years of neglect. Designed by one of America’s premier architects, Henry Hobson Richardson, in concert with the famed landscape team of Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the building was completed in the late 1800s as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.

It incorporated a system of enlightened treatment for people with mentally illness developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, in part by providing pleasing surroundings. Over the years, as mental health treatment changed and resources were diverted, the buildings and grounds began a slow deterioration. In 2006, the Richardson Center Corporation was formed with a mandate to save the buildings and bring the Complex back to life through a State appropriation for this architectural treasure.

Today, the Richardson Olmsted Complex is being transformed into a cultural amenity for the city, beginning with Hotel Henry Urban Resort and Conference Center and the Buffalo Architecture Center in the iconic Towers Building and two flanking buildings (about one third of the Complex). The remaining buildings have been stabilized pending future opportunities.

A Historic Structures Report and Cultural Landscape Report serve as guides for the rehabilitation. At every stage of planning, the Richardson Center Corporation has used an active public process, which has helped to inform the Master Plan and all phases of redevelopment for the Complex.

For more information about the Richardson Center Corporation, please visit
www.richardson-olmsted.com or call (716) 601-1150.

About CEPA Gallery:
Founded in 1974, CEPA is Western New York’s only center for contemporary photo-related art. Located in Buffalo’s historic Theater District, CEPA has evolved from a small presenting venue into a full service arts center with an international presence. It has extensive experience curating major professional exhibitions, commissioning new projects, and promoting the work of important, often under-recognized artists. In addition to visual arts programming, CEPA’s growing, award-winning Education Program engages hundreds of children and adults each year with programs focused on traditional darkroom, digital arts, and technology.