Opening Reception for Eighty-Six Reasons & Water, Grain, Steel
Join us at UB Anderson Gallery for the opening of two powerful fall exhibitions exploring history, place, and the human stories embedded in our built environments.
On the second floor, Eighty-Six Reasons presents porcelain sculptures, assemblages, and photographs by Kimberly Chapman that reflect on the institutionalization of women in 19th-century asylums. Drawing its title from an infamous list of so-called reasons for asylum admission, the exhibition is both a poetic reckoning and a haunting reminder of how systems of care have often served to silence. Chapman’s work evokes ritual, survival, and remembrance through delicate, emotionally charged forms.
On the first floor, Water, Grain, Steel: Industry and the Erie Canal brings together prints, paintings, and photographs from the UB Art Galleries Collection and beyond to mark the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal. This exhibition explores how the Canal shaped Buffalo and the surrounding region—through commerce, labor, environmental impact, and Indigenous histories—across two centuries of transformation.
Come for a first look at these exhibitions, enjoy refreshments, and connect with fellow artists, students, and community members.
Program Date: September 12, 2025