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Horsin' Around Rivendell
Rivendell ReCreation Center of South Wales, New York is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to therapeutic horseback riding programs for handicapped children and adults. Rivendell's compassionate volunteers and gentle horses have been serving the Western New York community since 1984. State of the Art is not "officially" affiliated with Rivendell - we are all just really good friends and at long last I have found a way to help them.
Third Annual Horsin' Around Rivendell Art Horse Auction September 29, 2007 Buffalo Arts Studio, 5th Floor TriMain Building, Main Street, Buffalo, New York 2pm-6pm Tickets are now on sale at State of the Art, 1781 Hertel Avenue (832-3900) - $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Children 10 and under admitted FREE and all artists are entitled to one complimentary ticket. Tickets can also be purchased from Rivendell Board Members. Toy horses and miniature model horses have been dispersed to artists of all ages (four years old and up!) to be decorated with paint, glitter and other embellishments. Several artists have created their entries from scratch (think of it as the "build a horse" workshop!). All of the resulting Art Horses will be auctioned to benefit the therapeutic horse back riding program and the Reading to Horses program at Rivendell ReCreation Center in South Wales, New York. The Art Horses for 2007 are all corralled at State of the Art (come in and see them!). We have big ones and little ones, funny ones and beautiful ones. Some of them will make you laugh out loud with their silliness or cleverness - some will make you gasp with their artfulness and craft. Chary L. Robbins is back again this year with an amazing mirrored creation, Bill Cannon has outdone himself with his multiple Art Horses, and Brian Engler, as usual, is credited with the first and most Art Horses. We have lots of new artists and lots of returning artists. We have 59 brand new Art Horses this year and as a special surprise, we have been "re-gifted" with 20 Art Horses from our first two auctions - so if you missed a favorite the first time around - you have a second chance to bid on it! One of these returning Art Horses is Joan Carol Coventry's now-famous Happy Birthday Horse - which has been seen on MySpace recently!!! Many of these Art Horses have won ribbons in previous year's auctions. Photos are all here!!! Click on the "2007 Art Horses" link at the top of the page and you can see all half of them!!! Be sure and click on the "detail" button at the top of each enlargement to view the artist's statement or description of each beautiful Art Horse. (Mike has done an amazing job bringing these pages to life for us - big round of applause!!!)
(updated September 21, 2007) A Day in the Life of Rivendell Open Photo Shoot
Photograph by Lukia Costello Our photo shoot today turned out to be an absolutely picture perfect day! Photographers were nearly tripping over each other yet all was harmony and inspiration. The horses posed like mad all day (I am not sure the horses will wish to emerge from their stalls from now on without paparazzi!) and the volunteers went above and beyond their call of duty. The riders were all perfect and the readers (and their tutors) were very photogenic - I even took note of photographers taking pictures of the flowers and the cats and the barn swallows! I have been busy organizing the resulting photographs - there are hundreds of them! I have also come to the conclusion that since there were so many enlargements given to us (hardly anyone could decide which was a favorite shot so we received, two, three and even four photos!) they will be displayed matted only and only on the day of the auction at the Buffalo Arts Studio (September 29). We have had one of the Board members, Barb O., compile a Power Point slide show for viewing at the auction. Each participating photographer is entitled to a complimentary auction ticket - if we do not give it to you before the event - one will have your name on it at the door!
Mark Freeland *Rest in Peace*
May 1, 1957-June 14, 2007 Rivendell has lost one of its artist-supporters, Mark Freeland, who created "The Misfits" for us for our very first Art Horse auction back in 2005. This sculpture, a scene from the movie of the same name and subtitled "Sucks to be you" shows a wild mustang struggling against the ropes of two determined cowboys. A dog is sitting nearby with his thoughts directed at the horse. Mark created the two cowboy figures and the dog out of a lightweight clay and painted them all a glossy black. Update: Mark's sculpture, "The Misfits," will be auctioned off on September 29, 2007 at our Third Annual Horsin' Around Rivendell Art Horse Auction and the proceeds will be divided equally between the Mark Freeland Fund* and Rivendell ReCreation Center. *The Mark Freeland Fund will have the discretionary power to allocate funds to the greatest need. The Lindsey Freeland Fund will be the beneficiary from this sculpture - Lindsey is mark's young niece who has been engaged in her own battle with the demon cancer and its accompanying medical bills. Mark was a luminous presence on both Buffalo's art scene and its music scene. His absence will leave a huge void in the hearts of anyone who ever saw him perform or admired his artwork, or anyone who even simply knew who he was - he was a walking embodiment of art and joy and music and life. I don't think I have ever met such a creative person - he was so very bold and his sense of humor was the best. He knew how to bring out the best in people. Mark's enthusiasm was always infectious. Think of Mark as Buffalo's very own Salvador Dali - that is, if Dali could play a blistering electric guitar solo (which I doubt!). To give anyone an idea about how important Mark was to Buffalo's art scene, his funeral brunch was held at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery! High kudos indeed - although if the AK were to buy a couple of Mark's paintings for their permanent collection that would be even higher praise! I shall miss him terribly but somehow I imagine Heaven just became a real jumpin' joint! Mark's music and his two art books are available on his website: www.markfreeland.com
*Reading to Horses On Saturday afternoons during June and July Rivendell is embarking on a new venture - The Reading to Horses Program - this program is geared to help kids with reading problems (it is a lot easier to read to a nice big non-judgmental horse than a teacher or a parent!) and if you want to read up on this concept check out http://www.millarcom.com/readingproject/ and give thanks to CBC radio for interviewing this man! The reading program will take place on Saturday afternoons, rain or shine from 1 - 4 pm. Do you like to read??? We need volunteers!!! Call Trish at 457-3365. UPDATE 6/16/07: It turns out that the horses really respond to this program! They love having books read to them! I witnessed this with my own eyes today and it is truly amazing to see! UPDATE 8/1/07: Since there are more horses at Rivendell than there are children enrolled in the Reading to Horses Program, the latest word is that the horses who are not being read to are becoming very jealous!
I hope everyone loves the new Horsin' Around Rivendell Logo as much as I do - I began the drawing and graphic artist David Manny made it into a real cartoon for us! Doncha think our new purple Art Horse needs a name???
Annual Rivendell Awards Banquet The Awards Banquet was indeed a fun evening and the following Rivendell volunteers were honored: Maggie Suhanov, Volunteer of the Year 2006; Molly Stetz, Junior Volunteer of the Year 2006, Joan Carol Coventry for her contributions to Horsin' Around Rivendell and those sneaky souls at Rivendell even surprised yours truly with an award.
2007 Rivendell Schedule Rivendell ReCreation Center 12469 Warner Hill Road, South Wales, NY 14139 (716-457-3365) (Since www.rivendellrec.org is unable to be updated with current information, look for any dates and details about Rivendell's programs on this page.) Saturday September 29 - 3rd Annual Horsin' Around Rivendell Art Auction (2-6pm), Buffalo Arts Studio, TriMain Building, 5th Floor Saturday October 27 - Halloween Party *see above for complete information
2007 RIVENDELL OPERATING SCHEDULE FOR RIDERS AND VOLUNTEERS 4th Riding Session Tuesday September 4 - Friday Sept 28 Tuesday and Thursday Evenings; Saturday Mornings Private Riding Lessons Private Riding Lessons may be arranged with instructors Trish: 457-3365 Cost - $25 per hour Private lesson times available are: Weekday Mornings 10 and 11am; 1,2,3 and 4pm. Evenings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 6 and 7pm. Note: No private lessons at 12 noon or 4pm
To view the 2005 and 2006 Art Horses and see photos from our first auction, click on the link at the top of the page.
Mar's Little Wish List Now I don't want anyone running out and buying any of this stuff - I am the recycling queen, remember? I just want y'all to look around in your junk drawer or your basement and if you happen to have any of these items which you do not need, please pass them along to me at State of the Art. These are items which artists can use in creating the Art Horses and also items which we can use for the night of the Auction itself. Horses (wood, plastic, china, anything!) (see below!) Horse books (all ages, but especially early readers through teenage) Little hats (Barbie size) Curling Ribbon Old or Broken Costume Jewelry Fabric Scraps (even really tiny ones!) Sewing Ribbon odds and ends Colorful Yarn (short lengths OK!) Craft Supplies (anything!) Bubble wrap, tissue paper Solid colored thin cotton fabric to use for table coverings at the auction in September. Or solid color sheets or table-cloths - any color, any size! and if you are feeling really generous: We could use some postage stamps. THANKS! :)
"Now the wild white horses play, champ and chafe and toss in the spray." Matthew Arnold
WE ALWAYS NEED MORE HORSES!!!
These are samples of the plastic horses we are collecting - they range in height from 4" to 11" - look for them in thrift stores or your daughter's closet!
Here are examples of some of the wooden horses also found in thrift stores, rummage sales and maybe that box in your garage! This year's auction will be our "Third Annual." That means we have an ongoing need to add to our collection of toy and model horses! One of my primary goals for this project, in addition to raising money for Rivendell, is the recycling of all of those poor abandoned toy horses that reside unloved and un-played-with in those dusty boxes in those forgotten corners of attics, garages and basements. You can give these toy horses a new lease on life - just as Rivendell does for their riders! Bring in your toy horses, even if they are broken - I can repair them for the artists to decorate! Broken or missing legs, tails, ears? NOT A PROBLEM! I have been repairing horse statues all of my life (and I am pretty good at it, IMHO!). The toy horses we are seeking can be anything from battle-scarred Breyers to broken Barbie horses. We are accepting just about any kind of horse (except My Little Ponies*) and in any size from 5 inches high to 12 inches high. We are also seeking wooden (scroll-saw) horses, china horses, glass horses and soft (plush) horses this year! (*If you do find any MLPs here is what you can do with them!!!) ;)
(I must admit that I have just found out that there are artists in this world who make custom MLPs and they do a fantastic job so I will no longer be making fun of MLPs.) (But I still don't want them for Horsin' Around Rivendell!) If you have any questions please call me (Mar) at State of the Art, 1781 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216. The phone number is 832-3900 and the shop hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11am to 6pm and 1pm to 5pm on Saturday. Email me at framar@framaree.com
"The wind of Heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears."
"God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses." Robert Bontine Cunningham-Graham
HORSE LINKS Herein you will find a choice selection of horse and horse art related websites. If you know of any others of a similar breed, please email so that I may add it to this listing - framar@framaree.com http://www.rivendellrec.org - This is the place that started all of this! Rivendell's website very succinctly explains all of their wonderful programs of therapeutic riding and you may find many a heart-warming story - have a box of tissues handy! http://www.equineextra.com - This site is a huge online horse magazine - with readership and contributors from all over the US and the world! Talk about horse shows, breeding, veterinary issues, rescue organizations - just about anything you can think of that is horse-related - this site is comprehensive to the max! http://rochesterhorses.org - Rochester, New York had a public art project in 2001 with life size fiberglass horse statues. This website contains over 900 photos of those amazing creations - plan to spend a couple of hours scrolling through them all! http://www.trailofpaintedponies.com - This website was one of my inspirations for Horsin' Around Rivendell. It is an ongoing public art project also involving life size horse statues. There are some absolutely fantastic art horses here - and many of them are of a realistic Southwestern theme. Beautiful! http://www.modelhorsejamboree.com/top.htm - This website is for the Tricked Out Pony contest. It is a national art horse competition of model horses. Adults and children compete and the winning pieces are auctioned on eBay. Be sure to check out the photos of previous years' entries. Some absolutely amazing miniature creations! 2005 winners' photos and descriptions are posted.. You can view my horse, "Rhapsody in Blue" with all of the rest of the entries! I won a fifth place ribbon but one of our very own 2005 Horsin' Around Rivendell artists took FIRST PLACE in the Youth Division - Katie Langford - CONGRATULATIONS!!! Tricked Out Pony 2006 is all finished - you can view the stunning entries and see the prices some of them garnered for their charity! WOW! (and WOW again!) http://www.mycarousel.com I received an email from Gary and Sandy from this wonderful website. Antique carousel horses - the spiritual grandsires and granddams of the art horses. The old carousel ponies are proud of their "kids." Check out their website - the lovely old horses are great for ideas!!! http://www.taoofequss.com This is the website for Epona Equestrian Services, specializing in Equine Experiential Learning and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy. This Tucson based riding center was founded by author, speaker, riding instructor and horse trainer Linda Kohanov who has written two very fascinating books about horses - The Tao of Equus and Riding Between the Worlds. A whole other way to think about the horse/human connection! Highly recommended!!! http://www.millarcom.com/readingproject/ Here is the website that started it all when it comes to reading to horses!!! I have heard of libraries and schools that use service dogs to help children with reading - but horses!!! WHY NOT?!? (I think we should read to them from such classics as The Black Stallion and Misty of Chincoteague and Black Beauty, of course!!) (The only trouble I ever had with reading as a kid was when my 5th grade teacher told me I had read too many horse books and she made me read Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - UGH!) www.artforhorselovers.com This website belongs to artist Stephanie M. Dunatov who has been a staunch Rivendell supporter since the beginning of the Art Horse project. She does beautiful oil and acrylic paintings, collages and cut-paper creations - and you will always find a horse in there somewhere! Stephanie's unicorns and her winter scenes are my favorites - check them out, folks - she will even do custom work, just for you!
"Run slowly, horses of the night." Ovid
The Message from the Wild Horses "Listen..... Ta-dom... ta-dom... It is the sound of the ancient drums tattooing a rhythm, secret yet known. It calls to you, waking something deep within you. Ta-dom... ta-dom... ta-dom... Louder now, closer, coming for you. Not the kind of drums at first you imagined, taut skins vibrating under sweating palms. 'Tis the earth drum calling, the many hooves dancing across the Mother, her heartbeat echoed in the sound. Feel us, the wild horses, running across the earth, dancing a rhythm so thrilling it speeds up the heart within you. Feel your own heart beating, skipping, and yearning for us, yet timid, afraid. What do we represent to your tribe that you feel the need to fear us, the need to bend and break us? Why? We give ourselves freely to you. We have served you for eons of time, willingly. The evidence is right before your eyes - you have traveled the land and built your cities all over this planet with our help. Yet, still you do not believe we are here as brothers and sisters to you. Still you call us dumb beasts and break our backs with work, and when we can work no more you destroy us as we are too much trouble to keep around for our own ease and peace. What do we represent inside yourself that is so frightening that you covet us, fear us, and hate us at the same time? We represent your power. Feel it inside you now, untamed and untamable, the wild horses of your soul. Do not fear it, or beat it into submission. Claim it! Open your heart to us and let us show you who we are. We have long waited to truly share this earth with you, to share ourselves with you as spiritual beings. We are not less a part of All That Is than you. All beings on this planet are divine and unique and all are here for their own spiritual path. Let us walk this path together. Allow yourself to open to the idea that you are divine, that you are powerful, that you are part of something great and magical. Dance with us on the earth, feel the wind in your hair, feel the fire in your breath, feel the beating of your heart synchronizing with All That Is. Feel the power in your belly churning, whirling, gathering strength. Feel it become a scream, a cry longing to be free. Let it rise in you and send it out into the world - I AM HERE! Ta-dom... ta-dom... ta-dom... Dancing with the earth, feeling the power of the rhythm flowing through your veins, through your every cell until you are more than human, until you are a part of All That Is. Come to us sisters, come to us brothers, come home." The Message from the Wild Horses, is excerpted from "Opening My Wings to Fly" and reprinted with the kind permission of author and animal communicator Tera Thomas, www.hummingbirdfarm.org
Our webmaster, Mike Wilson, has worked himself into the ground trying to keep up with all the Art Horses that have been created for Rivendell: if anyone who reads this knows of a nice paying job for him in the world of website design - please contact me! He is most talented, knowledgeable and dedicated! All text and all photographs copyright 2005, 2006,2007 Mar Penner Griswold dba State of the Art and Rivendell ReCreation Center.
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