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!

$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.

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.

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.

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.

Please join us for our annual Moonlight Snowshoe Party! With or without snow it is guaranteed to be a good time. Reserve your tickets now by calling 667-2808 or buy online.

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!

plasma cutter

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.

In the Collaborative Large Sculpture Program every student designs their own sculpture as intended for the large version. All of the many ideas are taken into account when designing a collaborative sculpture for the school. Every student receives their own metal sculpture and leaves a legacy at the school through the monumental steel sculpture they helped design.

Later that week, a group of students from St. Paul’s School in Niagara Falls, Ontario come for a two day experience with the AHF. They begin their trip with a tour of the facilities at the Essex Art Center. They all hopped back in the bus to drive out to Griffis Sculpture Park for a beautiful afternoon hike. After their hike, everyone settled down into our cabins tucked in the woods and prepare for the evening festivities. Once dusk hits, we have a bonfire, a delicious dinner and live metal casting where each student had designed a relief to be filled with molten aluminum. It is a truly extraordinary experience for these high school students. Mark Griffis, their art teacher has been bringing groups like this for over 10 years.

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.