Hon. Paul Tokasz Unveils Original Sculptures from Art on Wheels at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2004

Contact Information:
Amy Schmit, Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus – (716) 843-7515

BUFFALO, N.Y. – New York State Assembly Majority Leader Paul Tokasz joined Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) institution leaders today welcoming two original sculptures purchased from Art on Wheels (AOW) to the medical campus. Art on Wheels is a public art project organized by the Burchfield-Penney Art Center and the Materials Reuse Project.

“As the founding sponsor of Art on Wheels, I am pleased to see the AOW legacy continue through the permanent exhibition of some of the original Art on Wheels pieces. ‘US Rollin’ in America’ and ‘A Favorable Birdict’ are two of my favorites,” stated Assembly Majority Leader Paul Tokasz. “Thanks to Matt Enstice and the member organizations of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, these pieces have been preserved as public art for the enjoyment of those who come here for years to come.”

Last fall, the BNMC purchased “A Favorable Birdict” created by Niagara Falls artist Bill Wilson and ”US Rollin’ in America” created by Buffalo artist John Baker from Art on Wheels. The installation of these sculptures launches the BNMC’s public art program intended to enhance the appearance of the medical campus.

“A Favorable Birdict” has been installed in Colby Park at Buffalo General Hospital, and “US Rollin’ in America” is located on a parcel owned by Roswell Park Cancer Institute at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Carlton Street.

Recognizing the many benefits of public art, the BNMC plans to grow its art collection annually. Institution leaders hope that over time, pieces of art will serve as points of interest and rest stops along a series of walking and bike paths throughout the medical campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. The goal is that employees, visitors, and neighbors will utilize these paths – while enjoying the aesthetic benefits of the art – to increase their levels of physical activity. Public art can help to make these walks more beautiful, comfortable, and interesting.

“We are very excited to kick off the BNMC’s public art program with the installation of these two unique pieces from the Art on Wheels project,” said Matthew K. Enstice, BNMC Executive Director. “Our objective is to both improve the appearance of the medical campus by growing our public art collection, and to explore the use of art as an incentive for physical activity. For example, as resting points along a physical fitness trail throughout the medical campus and our surrounding neighborhoods. As with everything we do – we want it to benefit our employees, patients, visitors and neighbors.”

The BNMC’s concept to use public art as an incentive for physical activity was incorporated into a larger strategy, which has received funding from Active Living by Design, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The BNMC, in partnership with the Allentown and Fruit Belt neighborhoods, was awarded one of 25 highly competitive grants from Active Living by Design for its innovative proposal – the Healthy Communities Initiative – which emerged as a clear winner from a pool of 966 applicants.

The BNMC was founded in April 2001 by the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Kaleida Health, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute and the Buffalo Medical Group Foundation working in partnership with the City of Buffalo, the County of Erie, the Allentown neighborhood and the Fruit Belt neighborhood. Its mission is to cultivate a world-class medical campus on 100 acres in downtown Buffalo. In 2003, Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center and the Olmsted Center for the Visually Impaired joined the BNMC board of directors. The BNMC is currently implementing a master plan developed in partnership with Chan, Krieger and Associates from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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