Buffalo, NY – Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera today announced $140,000 in state funding to support critical improvements and public art projects at the historic Essex Arts Center on Buffalo’s West Side.

The investment includes $125,000 in state capital aid for the renovation of the Center’s 5,000-square-foot studio space, as well as an additional $15,000 for the creation of a new large-scale mural on the building’s historic courtyard façade.

The capital funding will address long-overdue infrastructure needs by replacing doors, windows, and garage shop doors; installing new high bay lighting; upgrading plumbing and drainage; updating flooring; and modernizing electrical, HVAC, and safety systems. The renovated studio spaces will continue to provide artists with one-of-a-kind infrastructure, such as high ceilings and overhead crane availability, that allow for large-scale creation unlike any other space in the City of Buffalo.

The Ashford Hollow Foundation, which oversees both the Essex Arts Center and the Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto, New York, grew out of a passion for creating.

Creator and visionary Larry Griffis, Jr. returned from WWII to start a family and run a hosiery company before moving to Italy to learn bronze casting. It was in Italy, amongst the ancient ruins of Hadrian's Villa, where Griffis was inspired to create the first outdoor sculpture park back home in Western New York. As his children played throughout the sculptural ruins set in a beautiful landscape, he realized the importance of physical interaction with artwork in an always changing natural setting.

While seeking out land for a new park, he also bought a turn-of-the-century ice factory on the West Side of Buffalo in 1969. Griffis, Jr. and his brother Roderick converted the packing plant into the Essex Arts Center, a mix of studios, galleries, and live/work spaces. Through the decades, the Center has hosted artists, galleries, and organizations that shaped Buffalo’s national reputation in the arts, including the founding of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Studio in 1975 by artists Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo, and Charles Clough. Today, it continues to provide a home to the Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art, 19 Ideas, Vibe Side Studios, and other creative organizations.

The existing murals within the Essex Arts Center campus were created as part of BAM (Buffalo Arts Movement) in 2009 and highlighted local artists, while the Center itself has come to embody Buffalo’s evolution, from industry to art and imagination. It connects a century-old industrial past to a vibrant cultural present, with murals and public art carrying that history forward into the city’s streets and neighborhoods.

Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera and Essex Arts Center are hoping to capture that same spirit of transformation as they issue a call to local artists to apply to modernize the Essex mural space with a new $15,000 mural.

In late Fall 2025, Arts Services Inc. (ASI), in partnership with Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera’s office, will invite artists working in appropriate mediums from across Western New York to submit proposals for the new outdoor public mural at Essex Street Arts Center. The selected muralist(s) will begin in installation in Spring 2026, with completion expected by Summer 2026. Artists will be invited to interpret the theme of “Transformation in Motion,” reflecting the building’s layered history and Buffalo’s ongoing evolution through concepts of change, resilience, renewal, and imagination. Proposals can be abstract, figurative, or hybrid in style, but must engage both the local neighborhood and the broader city.

Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said, “The Essex Arts Center is a true gem of Buffalo’s creative community and a living link between our city’s industrial past and its vibrant cultural present. This investment ensures that local artists and cultural organizations have the space, tools, and support to create world-class work right here on the West Side. Just as importantly, it invites the community to reimagine a historic landmark through public art that embodies Buffalo’s spirit of resilience and transformation.”

Nila Griffis-Lampman, Executive Director of Ashford Hollow Foundation, said, “Essex Arts Center has always been a place where history and imagination meet. From its beginnings as an ice house to its transformation into a home for artists, Essex has embodied the idea that spaces can evolve along with the community. This investment will allow us to modernize our facilities for today’s artists while honoring the legacy of those who came before. We are grateful to Assemblymember Rivera for recognizing the importance of this work and helping ensure that Essex continues to nurture creativity and connection for generations to come.”

Jen Swan-Kilpatrick, Executive Director of Arts Services Inc. (ASI), said, “Essex Street Arts Center has always been a place where creativity and community come together. This new mural is a chance for artists to bring Buffalo’s story of transformation, resilience, and imagination to life, while honoring the West Side’s rich cultural heritage. We’re so grateful to Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera’s Office for supporting public art that energizes our neighborhoods and uplifts local voices.”

Parrish Gibbons, Executive Director of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, said, “When Hallwalls founders Robert Longo, Charles Clough, Cindy Sherman, and other like-minded artists transformed a former ice house on Essex Street into an artist-run alternative space in 1974, they were part of a national wave of new artist-initiated organizations. That Hallwalls continues to thrive 50 years later—and that our original location still serves as a launch pad for adventurous contemporary art—speaks to the extraordinary commitment of Buffalo’s community to both artists and the reimagining of our industrial spaces for the future.”

Benjamin Hickey, Director at CEPA Gallery, said, “Investment in the arts represents investment in people's quality of life, their understanding of the world around them, and it empowers them to create something that embodies their vision for the future. Assemblymember Rivera and the State of New York's support of the Essex Arts Center embodies these values and I am thankful for what this represents. The paintings, photographs, ceramics, and other artforms that people may see or make here are more than objects, they are encouragement to pursue education, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship in many forms that will pay Buffalo back tenfold.”

Katie Krawczyk, CEO and Founding Partner at 19 Ideas, said, “19 Ideas has been proud to call Essex Arts Center home for more than a decade. As an anchor tenant, we’ve always felt deeply connected to this space and the long, storied history Essex holds with Buffalo’s arts and creative community. We have intentionally rooted ourselves at Essex to be a part of that creative history while supporting Buffalo’s neighborhoods and contributing to the vibrancy of Buffalo’s West Side. It’s wonderful to see the State investing in the Essex Arts Center to ensure Essex continues to be a place where creativity thrives and where the arts bring people together for many years to come.”