The Ashford Hollow Foundation recently received four beautiful statues of inspirational women created by renowned Australian artists Gillie and Marc Schattner. The couple donated the 10-foot-tall bronze sculptures of Gabby Douglas (Olympic gymnast), Tracy Caldwell Dyson (astronaut/chemist), Janet Mock (writer/director/producer) and Cheryl Strayed (writer/podcast host) as part of their Statues for Equality project, a global mission to balance gender and racial representation in public art.

The Janet Mock sculpture will be placed at the Essex Arts Center in Buffalo while those of Douglas, Caldwell Dyson and Strayed will be permanently installed at Griffis Sculpture Park in late June. This month, you can get a close-up view of the Cheryl Strayed statue which will be temporarily located in front of the Chamber of Commerce building (9 West Washington Street). On Friday, June 4th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., the public is invited to attend the unveiling with live jazz music and refreshments. Strayed's sculpture was selected to appear in Ellicottville as she is the author of the Oscar-nominated movie “Wild” (starring Reese Witherspoon) based on her journey of self-discovery during her 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.

For additional information visit www.griffissculpturepark.com or call 716-667-2808. And to learn more about how Glen Burn Trail can put you in the center of four-season fun contact Team Pritchard www.teampritchard.com – Cathleen Pritchard or Melanie Pritchard (716-575-SELL).