Little Journeys Welcomes Jackie Albarella for EA through the eyes of Burchfield
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
The Roycrofters-at-Large (RALA) and The Roycroft Inn present the final Little Journey of 2025: renowned published author, artist and researcher Jackie Albarella will conclude the 2025 Little Journey season on Wednesday, December 3 at The Roycroft Chapel 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.
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.”
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.
More information on Albarella's portfolio and published works can be found at her website, https://www.jackiealbarella.com/.
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 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 RALA Little Journeys, this presentation is offered at no cost, but requires advance registration. Tickets are needed for entry to The Chapel. Reserve your space by visiting our ticketing link.
Active RALA Patrons and Members who cannot attend in person will have the option to join via member livestream. If you are a RALA member who as yet to renew your membership for the 2025-26 membership cycle, please visit our membership page for information.
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. Our 2026 season will open on February 5, 2026 with a presentation by noted curator and collector, Gerald Mead on Buffalo's contemporary artists of the Roycroft period and some examples of work from his personal collection.
The 2025-2026 Roycrofters-at-Large (RALA) “Goodie Box” debuted at the summer festival will be on view in the Chapel beginning at 5pm for those interested in purchasing raffle for our "winner takes all" drawing at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC on February 22, 2026.
The annual Goodie Box is a RALA tradition for over 20 years, and is the backbone of our non-profit fund-raising initiatives. Besides containing an astonishing variety of items from Roycroft Artisans, each year’s box has a centerpiece created by a select Roycroft Master.
This year’s centerpiece pushes the boundaries of the traditional goodie box. Roycroft Master in Ceramics Gerald G Smith Ill has an innovative ceramic collection reimagining the goodie box proper as a storage vessel and pedestal for elegant tea service components. Clad with a combination of metallic and rustic glazing techniques, Smith’s one of a kind creation expresses an industrial look blended with dramatic Moroccan influence.
The 2025 Goodie Box is valued at over $7,000. The final drawing will be held at the National Arts and Crafts Conference. Tickets are available at this Little Journey, as well at the 2025 Roycroft Winter Festival, this weekend, December 6 + 7 at The Hampton Inn of East Aurora.
Follow the Roycrofters-At Large Association’s social media pages at Facebook and instagram, @roycroftartisans, for updates and information. Invite friends to join you Wednesday or this weekend for a Roycroft Holiday to remember and help welcome us home!