The 2025 Roycroft Little Journey Speaker Series concludes on Wednesday, December 3 with an exploration of Charles Burchfield’s artistic connection to East Aurora, a place he visited often due to its proximity to his home in Gardenville. This session of Little Journeys will be presented by renowned published author, artist and researcher Jackie Albarella.
Albarella’s talk will highlight several of Burchfield’s paintings that depict the East Aurora area, paired with readings from his journals that provide insight into his creative process and reflections on the works he produced there, like “November Storm,” where Burchfield drew inspiration “on a little used road southeast of East Aurora.” �
From Burchfield’s notes, “A full scale blizzard was in progress. I protected myself and my easel by setting my beach umbrella under a hemlock tree, pointing into the wind. There is no snow shown in the painting—I tried to give the illusion of a snowstorm by the treatment of the objects in the painting.”
About Jackie Albarella:
Jackie Albarella is an accomplished and award-winning author, documentary filmmaker, photographer and multi-platform storyteller from Buffalo, New York. She has authored books on humor, gardening, women, and the restoration of Buffalo’s historical landmark, the Hotel Lafayette. She writes for national magazines including Garden Design, and Per Niente. Her newest book (#6) Sons & Their Mothers launched in April 2024.
Exhibitions of Jackie’s photography have been curated in galleries throughout New York State, including one-woman shows at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Buffalo History Museum, The Hunt Gallery, the Buffalo/Niagara Crossroads Gallery, the Buffalo Airport, and the American Association of University Women House in Rochester. Her one woman show at The Burchfield Penney Art Center, entitled: “My Mr. Burchfield” depicted her life beginning as Burchfield’s neighbor and later growing up in his former home. The exhibit included video clips of interviews with the Albarella family and close neighbors who recounted their relationships and memories of the famed artist.
RALA is proud to close the 2025 season with a speaker who holds such a breadth of knowledge on the WNY Arts and the inestimable Burchfield. While Charles Burchfield is not officially associated with the Roycroft canon, there is a deep connection through the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the holder of the largest public collection of Roycroft objects. Contemporary Roycroft Renaissance Artisans are represented within the Burchfield Penney collections, and RALA is pleased to collaborate with BPAC in 2026 as part of its RALA50 50th anniversary programming. Albarella’s contribution to the 2025 Little Journey schedule is a fitting tribute to this shared history.
The Roycroft Little Journey speaker series is presented in two parts within The Roycroft Inn Complex on South Grove. The evening’s program will begin with a relaxed cocktail hour at 4:30 pm in the Library Bar before attendees to the lecture will move to the Roycroft Chapel for the presentation beginning at 6pm. Those who wish to dine following the lecture will receive 10% off of their dinner at The Roycroft Inn that evening beginning at 7:15 p.m. by mentioning Little Journeys when making a reservation.
As a Little Journey, this presentation is offered at no cost to the public, but requires advance registration for entry to The Chapel. Reserve your space by visiting ralaweb.com. Active RALA Patrons and Members who cannot attend in person will have the option to join via member livestream.
RALA’s Little Journeys connects Roycroft Artisans with the community by offering artist talks, demonstrations and lectures that educate and create opportunities for collectors and members of the Roycroft community to connect with the modern Roycroft movement, and serves as a homage to Elbert Hubbard’s original Little Journeys; small trips to artists of note that shared intimate glimpses behind their process and lives.
For years, this series was an important part of RALA’s presence on South Grove, and offered “show and tell” by Masters and Artisans, Artisan Forums and visiting nationally known speakers. After resurrecting this series in February 2024, RALA and The Roycroft Inn, the series’ birthplace, have celebrated 2025 in formal sponsorship of “Little Journeys 2.0” and opened the Roycroft Chapel to the public every first Wednesday of 'even months.'
Information on the Roycrofters-at-Large events and membership options can be found online at www.ralaweb.com.
Follow the Roycrofters-At Large Association’s social media pages at Facebook and instagram, @roycroftartisans, for updates and information.
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