You may have noticed that a new sign has been erected at the corner of Elmwood and Bidwell. The sign was recently posted by Charles Griffasi Sr. Charles was once involved with the Allentown Arts Festival and before he left the institution he made his way to president. AAF was an art show when he first joined, but Charles felt that the event needed to be spiced up. He wanted to add performance and visual arts to the show. The additional support of a number of organizations helped to boost the festival's appeal. Since that time Charles has been trying to promote the arts in Buffalo to the best of his ability. To listen to Charles on this BRO Articulate podcast, it is interesting to hear about the history of some of our endearing arts organizations. One of the granite markers will even go in front of Cole's Restaurant - Chauncey Alcott is the artist who wrote My Wild Irish Rose. At this time there are eight artists being recognized at Bidwell.
In the podcast Charles talks about the eventual elimination of the performing arts from the Allentown Festival, and how that led him to get back to his grassroots beginnings. According to Charles, the love of the arts must start in the school system. Without that early exposure they can have a hard time supporting the arts later in life. The granite engraved Walk of Fame brings the arts to the street on a permanent level. The Walk pays homage to artists and art organizations that have helped to maintain the arts in Buffalo. It's 24-hours of exposure for those people who may not be able to have educational access to the likes of Mark Twain and Robert Creeley. Now that the sign has been added, hopefully more people will walk by and take notice of the artists that Charles has dedicated. Every year Charles plans on inducting more artists into The Walk. He would also like to see more art events taking place at the location. In about two week a couple of evergreens will be planted by the sign and ten new names will be added.
If you think the Cultural Walk of Fame has legs, then you may want to check out Charles' proposal for a Niagara River Boardwalk.
I like to see things happen... and the only way to make things happen is to do it for yourself. - Griffasi