At the Water’s Edge, Paintings and Drawings by Mildred C. Green

This exhibition celebrates Mildred C. Green’s (1874- 1951) paintings of the Buffalo Harbor during the decades when it was a driving force in the economy of the city of Buffalo. It also explores scenes that she painted along the Niagara River and in the landscape around Western New York. Her paintings remain an important expression of the unique beauty of the region during the period when it was at its economic peak and hint at what a prosperous Buffalo Harbor might look like in the future.

Green was a muralist, illustrator, educator, and writer. She was born April 18, 1874 in Paris, New York, and moved to Buffalo in 1892. She received her arts training at the Art Students' League of Buffalo and the Buffalo School of Fine Arts, where she studied under noted artists George Bridgman, Lucius Hitchcock, and Edward Dufner. Green was one of the few women painting during a period dominated by men. Throughout her career, she created several illustrations for the Buffalo Courier Express and completed murals for M.J. Kinsella in Buffalo and the Niagara and Eastman Power Company in Niagara Falls. From 1920-1941, Green taught life drawing and anatomy classes at the Buffalo School of Fine Arts. She went on to teach private classes, as well as art at the University at Buffalo Summer Session.

Green was a member of several professional artist organizations, including the Buffalo Society of Artists, the Patteran Society, and the Guild of Allied Arts. She was also a life member of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. She won several prizes for her paintings, including drawing and anatomy from the Art Students' League of Buffalo and popular vote in the Buffalo Society of Artists' Annual Exhibitions in 1933 and 1946.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first solo museum exhibition of her work. As we look back at Green’s career, we celebrate what she has left for us, and continue to bring forward the work of women artists that have too frequently been forgotten in the story of American art. This exhibition is presented with generous support from Mrs. John Kociela, Sandra L. Nicklas and Janet M. and Richard H. Wetter.