Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus | Clinical, Research, and Academic Excellence

for Development of a Public Art Plan

For Immediate Release
December 21, 2005
Contact: Amy Schmit at
845-5414, ext. 203 or aschmit@bnmc.org

Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) received an additional $50,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Active Living by Design (ALbD) program. These highly competitive dollars were made available through the Special Opportunities Fund to ALbD grantees.

BNMC’s proposed “Art Scape” project will enhance current ALbD efforts through the development of a master plan for art in public spaces on the medical campus and at connection points with the Allentown and Fruit Belt neighborhoods. The objective is to strategically integrate art into infrastructure and streetscape improvements.

The purpose of the master plan is to insure a coherent acquisition program for public art of exceptional quality, executed on an appropriate scale and for general public access within the BNMC and surrounding neighborhoods. It will establish criteria and policies for a public art program and priorities for artwork at certain strategic areas, which enrich and give dimension to the public environment.

We always believed that art could play a critical role in what we are doing, but until now we did not have the resources to bring the right people to the table,” said BNMC project manager for the ALbD initiative Mike Ball. This grant allows us to think strategically about how public art can best complement our efforts.”

Mr. Ball added, “We believe that this public art plan will be a national model for urban design. Our multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts includes urban planners, artists, landscape architects, engineers, and health/wellness specialists. Together, we will create a unique, pedestrian-friendly environment that features art for the benefit of all who visit the BNMC.”

To achieve its vision, the BNMC has assembled an impressive committee of local art industry experts, which will convene under the direction of Public Art Planning Consultant Nina Freudenheim.

Ms. Freudenheim is a Fine Art Consultant and owner of the Nina Freudenheim Gallery. She is well known for her work in the public and private sectors; most notably she led the planning, selection, and placement of public art in all of the NFTA Metro Rail stations.

Committee members include:
• Louis Grachos, Director, Albright-Knox Art Gallery
• Doug Shultz, former Director, Albright-Knox Art Gallery
• Sandra Firmin, Curator, University at Buffalo Art Gallery.

Public art can not only physically enhance the overall image of the campus and surrounding neighborhoods, but also contribute to the well-being of those inhabiting the campus and its surroundings,” Ms. Freudenheim noted. This should prove to be a seminal public art project.”

The project will include a call for work from national and local artists. The plan is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2006.

In 2003, the BNMC, in partnership with the Allentown and Fruit Belt neighborhoods, was named one of 25 national grantees by Active Living by Design, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The goal is to increase physical activity through changes to the built environment. Healthy Communities Initiative is the name of Buffalo’s multi-faceted and collaborative effort.

Founded in 2001, the BNMC is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the cultivation of a world-class medical campus for clinical care, research, education and entrepreneurship on 100 acres in downtown Buffalo.

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