Griffis Sculpture Park is teaming up with the folks at Eclipse Multi Sport to present the Finn McCool 4 Mile Odyssey! Participants will navigate a 4 mile course loaded with challenging obstacles, difficult terrain and a mud pit at the finish, all building up to the moment when the race is over – and the real fun begins!
The Finn course at Griffis will be the most challenging ever. Griffis Sculpture Park has multiple terrains, steep hills to climb, slick descents, and some very tight trails to navigate. And then of course there is the obstacles…
The course itself is still under construction, but we will have the most eclectic group of Irish Obstacles ever assembled, including:
Celtic Climb: giant rope wall you will need the luck of the Irish to get up and over.
Slip ‘n Slide: at least one…a Finn classic.
Cargo Chaos: massive cargo net and rope wall combo.
Monkey Bars: yep, just like back in elementary school…but a LOT bigger!
Terrible Tubes: dark, wet, tough on the hands and knees…yeah, terrible like it says.
Leprechaun Leap: not once, not twice, but three times.
Pond Scum: try not to lose your shoes in the muck.
Hay Pyramid: going up is the easy part – and that isn’t easy.
Run The Plank: there is no walking here.
Mud Madness: the way we close every race…perfect!
PLUS many more including all new and never before seen at previous races.
Please check out the official Finn McCool Website to register:
www.finnmccool4mile.com
Don’t miss out on this great event!
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Please join us for this years annual Moonlight Snowshoe Tour on February 23 from 5pm – 8pm. We will be adding a few new twist to our great event – with all the regulars still present especially snowshoes from City Garage and chili from Balloons Restaurant. Bring out your finest dancing shoes to warm up after a fantastic tour provided by Mark and Damian Griffis! Smackdab a local Buffalo Band will be rocking the gate house and adding some new dance off categories!
$50 covers snowshoe rental; some of the best local chili, cookies and snacks; a mooonlit snowshoe tour of Sculpture Park; and live music afterward. During the tour, snowshoers will be stopping at some of the sculptures to learn who created them, who installed them, and a little history behind them.
Reservations are required and limited. To register, please contact us at 716-667-2808 or e-mail GriffisPark@aol.com.
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The Ashford Hollow Foundation with Big Orbit Gallery will be sponsoring and hosting the opening reception for the event on November 15 at the Essex Arts Center! The gallery will be featuring conference registrants as well as great music from both 12/8 Path Band and Don Metz!
The Nor’Easter Conference is hosted by the Fine Arts Department at Buffalo State and highlights Buffalo’s history rich in iron and steel making. Buffalo was once home to three of the largest steel manufacturing plants in America including Bethlehem Steel, Republic, Steel and Lackawanna Steel. These foundries as well as several smaller iron and steel foundries, made Buffalo one of the leading producers of cast iron in the world. While the last of these major iron foundries went out of business year ago, Buffalo State has emerged as the keeper of the region’s great founding heritage. Buffalo State is proud to pay tribute to the past and look into the future as the Nor’Easter provides a forum to teach, learn and develop withing this practice.
Starting at 7:30pm $10 pre-sale and $15 at the door.
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East Otto, New York – Thinking about catching a last glance at the fall foliage in the hills of the Southern Tier? Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto, NY, part of the Ashford Hollow Foundation, will hold a Fall Walking Tour on Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 12 noon to 5 pm. Guided group walking tours are scheduled for 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm. It’s the last weekend of the Park season and a great chance to enjoy a beautiful fall outing with the family and friends amidst art and nature.
Other featured activities include a scavenger hunt at 2 pm; rock painting for kids; a Halloween Costume parade at 3 pm; or bring a homebaked pie to enter the pie tasting contest at 4 pm. There will be a beer tasting by the Ellicottville Brewing Company. Free grilled hot dogs will be served while they last. Park-goers are encouraged to bring their own beverages, snacks and picnic if they wish. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted towards the Park’s new public washrooms project.
The event will be held weather permitting; check the Griffis Sculpture Park Facebook page for cancellation info.
Griffis Sculpture Park is located off Route 219 between Springville and Ellicottville, NY. The park is actually split into two sections: Rohr Hill Road Site in Ashford Hollow, NY and Mill Valley Road Site in East Otto, NY. The Fall Walking Tour will be held at the Mill Valley Road Site.
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The Slyboots School of Music and Art & The Ashford Hollow Foundation
present:
SLYFEST 7– The Griffis Sculpture Park Edition
September 7 | 2pm to dusk & September 8 | 12pm to dusk
- Day time- No camping -
Slyfest is an annual collaboration put on as a fundraiser for the Slyboots School of Music and Art, newly located in Downtown Buffalo, NY. Our work involves cultural arts education through avenues of world music, dance and art. We strive to expose students of all ages to master musicians, dancers, performers and artists as a way to inspire creativity and foster respect for all humans in our global village. One of the key components to the Slyboots approach is our presence in elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the country. While there is always cultural arts education in the form of music and dance lessons (as well as industry perks like rehearsal space and recording facilities for local musicians) at our center in Buffalo, The Slyboots School spends six months out of the year traveling with cultural performing groups from around the world to perform and teach at schools from Berklee School of Music in Boston to Colorado State University and everywhere in between. For the first time since the inception of Slyfest, The SAAKUMU Dance Troupe, (One of the Slyboots School’s most prominent resident ensembles from Ghana, West Africa) will be in the country during Slyfest season to teach workshops and kick off their 6th US tour with the Slyboots School of Music since 2008– where else– but at SLYFEST 7September 7th, 2012
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Big Leg Emma to rock Essex Arts Center in May
Band celebrating the release of their new studio album “Revival”
The roots-rock band, Big Leg Emma, will be hosting their album-release party in Buffalo on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at the Essex Arts Center, 30 Essex Street, Buffalo, NY. The show, with opening band A Potters Field, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event will assist the Ashford Hollow Foundation, which owns and operates the Griffis Sculpture Park and the Essex Arts Center.
Tickets are $13 pre-sale or $18 day or show. Tickets can be purchases at www.griffispark.org or in-person at Terrapin Station, 1172 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo. They will be available at the door the evening of the show.
In addition to the band performances, the warehouse art studio at Essex Street will be transformed with creative lighting and projection photography.
Big Leg Emma just released their second full-length studio album titled “Revival” in March. The band recently returned from a tour of the East Coast celebrating the album release, as well as the band’s 10 Year Anniversary. The band is known for their high-energy live shows that feature blends of rock n’ roll, country, world beat, bluegrass and more. In the band’s 10 year history, the group has shared the stage with numerous national headlining acts, as well as headline their own shows throughout the country.
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2012 Moonlight Snowshoe at the Griffis Sculpture Park! You all helped make it a wonderful success.
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Essex Art Center Open Studio
Various artists from the Essex Art Center will be showcasing their original work during the Holiday Open Studios and Galleries presented by artists in buffalo, inc. December 2 through December 4 come and visit one of the most unique art spaces in WNY. Our doors will be open to sell and display artwork as well as give you the opportunity to make your own metal sculpture. An artist will be on hand to help you design, draw and cut your metal sculpture while you watch. It is an extremely unique opportunity to make a very special gift and receive a demonstration on Plasma Cutting. The first weekend in December only. We hope to see you there!
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The Ashford Hollow Foundation has been teaching youth the skills of metalworking for many decades now. Currently, our
Plasma Cutting
outreach goes beyond the Essex Art Center and heads all the way into classrooms across WNY. Last week, we kicked off a program with the Williams Street School in Lancaster. The program headed off with a Plasma Cutting and Welding demonstration for all 500 6th graders at the school. The Ashford Hollow Foundation’s teaching artists Zack Boehler and Sarah Fonzi gear up to give each student an insight into the world of metal sculpture. The demonstration shows the students exactly how each and everyone of their sculptures will be created and helps them get excited about their opportunity with the Griffis Sculpture Program.
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Opening Reception at GSP
September 10, 2011 3pm at Mill Valley Site of Griffis Sculpture Park
“Nuggette” by Coral Lambert and “Fallen Fruit” by Matter Practice will be celebrated as the two newest acquisitions of Griffis Sculpture Park. Lite refreshments and snacks will be served and we will venture through the park to dedicate both sculptures. Please join us for a great day.
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Drum Circle at GSP
Join the metal giants in the fields at Rohr Hill on Saturday night. We will drum to the beat of the setting sun. All are welcome and this is a free event. Some drums will be available to share.
We will meet at Rohr Hill Rd (turn off 219 on Ahrens Rd and make 1st left) around 7:30 on Saturday the 20th.
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June 25th, 2011 | 5:30 pm to 12 AM :: Essex Arts Center Music Starts at 5:30pm :: Music by Soul Committee, Sonic Garden, 12/8 Path Band, Aircraft, Lazlow Hollyfeld, Stop Making Sense, Nick Gordon & the Family Band. Plenty of extras including: Mbaye Rama Drumming & Dancing, Musical & Light INterpretation by Poverty, Hyms, Hula Hoopers, Live Painting Experience.
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