The 2011 exhibition Surveyor, which took its title from a poem by the Dutch writer Rutger Kopland, underscored the theme of humanity’s relationship with, and understanding of, the immensely powerful and indescribable beauty of the natural world in which we live.
The exhibition featured the premiere of several major new acquisitions for the museum's collection, including works by Kelly Barrie, Sonja Braas, Barnaby Furnas, Cameron Martin, Matthew Ritchie, Gary Simmons, and Zhan Wang. It also featured work by five Buffalo-based artists—Michael Basinski, Bingyi, Millie Chen, Peter Stephens, and Paul Vanouse—who were invited to both respond with examples of their own work and curate their own selections from the museum's collection.
The exhibition opened with a Members' Preview on February 17—during which all five Buffalo-based artists gave tours of their installations—and continued through June 5.