1237 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo

1235 Hertel Aveune - Table of Contents Public Art in Buffalo AKG Public Art Initiative

The Midnight Garden Mural
Urbanity, 1239 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, New York
The Monocle, 1235 Hertel Avenue
Burning Question Tatoo, 1225 Hertel Avenue

Sponsor: AKG Public Art Initiative

On this page below:

The Buffalo News feature (June 6, 2025)

Work in Progress (June 6-10, 2025)

Finished Mural (June 24, 2025)

The Buffalo News feature (June 6, 2025)

Artists Danielle Saeva (left), Ola Volo, Laura Valkwich

Work in Progress (June 6-10, 2025)

Work in Progress Details below:

Work in Progress
Ola Volo, originally from Kazakhstan, now living in Montreal

Work in Progress

Finished Mural - June 24, 2025

"Artist Ola Vollo has completed the most immersive mural that the AKG's Public Art Initiative has ever commissioned. The Midnight Garden, 2025, spans three neighboring buildings along Hertel Avenue, with the Monocle at 1235 Hertel as the central anchor.

"For this commission, Volo merges the avian symbols of the peacock and the heron with the rich cultural heritage of her native Slavic Poland, also portraying a woman adorned in a tapestry of feathers connected to a magical garden of flowers and birds" - AKG's Public Art Initiative (online June 2025)

Six walls on three buildings:

Left building: Urbanity, 1239 Hertel Avenue

Center building: The Monocle, 1235 Hertel Avenue, with addition to the right

Right building: Burning Question Tatoo, 1225 Hertel Avenue

Details below:

Finished Mural -
Far Left Panel - End of the Garden, Opposite the Queen at Far right

Left panel - Urbanity, 1239 Hertel Avenue Right panel - The Monocle facade, 1235 Hertel Avenue

Between 1239 and 1235 Hertel Avenue Details below: :

Left panel

Right panel - Monocle building

Right panel detail on the Monocle building as seen from Hertel Alley, at the rear of the Monocle

Finished Mural - Monocle Facade

Monocle building was originally built as the B'rith Israel Anshe Ames Synogogue

Mural details below:

Monocle facade Heron(?)

Monocle facade

Monocle facade Peacock(?) at left

Finished Mural - Monocle Right (West) Elevation

Monocle facade and right (west) elevation, and Monocle addition

Center: Monocle right (west) elevation Right: Monocle addition

Monocle right elevation

Finished Mural - Monocle Addition

Monocle addition

Monocle addition Note upper center peacock, detailed in part below:

Monocle addition Peacock

Finished Mural - 1225 Hertel Avenue - Left (east) Elevation

1225 Hertel Left Elevation The Queen

1225 Hertel Left Elevation The Queen

"I always begin with the Queen - she anchors the story. She's Strength, mystery, and intuition. In this garden, she represents the spirit of transformation ... and maybe a little magic too." - Ola Vollo's Instagram post on June 6, 2025

"In one section of the mural, the peacock, traditionally symbolizing protection, beauty, and renewal in Slavic folklore, envelops the woman's figure like a shield of armor. Each detailed feather in the mural not only highlights the bird's natural splendor but also serves as a metaphor for the protective and nurturing qualities associated with women and femineinity." - AKG's Public Art Initiative (online June 20)

"Other elements of the mural will feature mythological birds rooted in Slavic folklore, inspired explicitly by the classic folk tale, 'The Firebird's Orchard.' In that story, the Firebird guards a hidden garden filled with healing fruits. The bird symbolizes mystery, light, and forbidden beauty - echoing the essence of this enchanted world and emphasizing the mural's themes of femin in ity, transformation, and foklore, while adding a dreamlike and poetic nature." - AKG's Public Art Initiative (online June 20)