New mural unveiled on county building in East Buffalo

Buffalo, New York (WBEN) – A colorful new public art installation was unveiled Tuesday morning on the walls of the Jesse Nash Health Center in Buffalo, a dynamic, community-driven polytab mural that is the first art installation to be placed directly on the walls of an Erie County facility.

The mural, by Philadelphia-based artist Ben Volta with support from local arts liaison Edreys Wajed, was directly inspired by the location, the county-run health clinic site at 608 William Street on Buffalo’s East Side, and by classroom workshops with students from the Harriet Ross Tubman School (BPS 31) just north of the mural site.

Volta and Wajed, along with AKG staff, worked with students to inform designs and print the work on polytab for public painting days.

“Polytab is a nonwoven fabric and we had a design that Edreys did, a digital design that could be printed on that material. It comes to us in 5-by-5-foot sections,” says Aaron Ott, curator of public art at Buffalo AKG.

“We use it to do community paint days, so we have students as young as you see here at the YMCA and seniors painting with us, anyone from all walks of life, any talent can paint with us and get hands-on with the production of the mural and then our talented team puts it up on that wall. So it’s a great way to get a number of people involved and active in how we put (the art) together and create this community.”

This project was funded by the county as part of the Erie County Public Art Initiative, which began in 2013 with the county’s partnership with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.

“We’ve seen dozens of projects pop up throughout our community that are directly part of the public art initiative, and many more that were not part of the AKG, the Erie County Public Art Initiative, that came about on their own. But one thing we hadn’t seen was an actual installation, a painting, a mural, an exhibit, on an Erie County building. That’s what we’re here to celebrate today,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Erie County officials note that not only does investing in local art beautify our neighborhoods and empower residents, but this particular mural will draw attention to the health center’s services.

“I talked to a young lady who lives across the street here, and she said she had never noticed this place before, which just shows the power of what’s been done here,” said Lawrence Dupree, the new Erie County legislator who took the seat after Howard Johnson recently resigned.

“Public art plays an important role in the cultural and social fabric of our community. It can transform ordinary spaces, like a health center, into something extraordinary.”