1260 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, New York

Public Art in Buffalo - Table of Contents .................. Hertel Avenue - Table of Contents ............... Albright-Knox Public Art Initiative

"We Are Here" Mural
1260 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, New York

This is a map of the neighborhood,

and if you look closely,

you'll see a secret message hidden in the graphic streetscape:

the word "We."

Partial reprint

Trio of murals to kick off Buffalo's summer of public Art
By Colin Dabkowski
Buffalo News: Gusto, May 12, 2018 (online Oct. 2018)

A new mural designed by White Bicycle will soon appear at 1260 Hertel Ave. as part of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery's public art program.

The first, conceived by a six-person team at the local design firm White Bicycle led by Kyle Morrisey and Brian Grunert, will feature a boldly colored design based on the North Buffalo streetscape as if rendered in stained glass. If you look closely, you'll see a secret message hidden in the graphic streetscape: the word "We."

"It's at the corner of Commonwealth and Hertel, and there's something poetic about this notion of 'commonwealth' as an echo of this City of Good Neighbors," said Grunert, founder of White Bicycle. "We're calling the piece, 'We Are Here,' a play on this notion of placemaking. We're widening it out to be a joint statement of presence, something that's meant to be welcoming of the diversity that has historically grown from that neighborhood."

The selection of a local design firm, rather than an individual artist or team of artists, represents an attempt by Ott and the Albright-Knox to tap into Buffalo's active design community.

The process of creating the White Bicycle mural, Grunert said, was a team effort that involved all six of the agency's staffers: Grunert; Morrisey; Casey Kelly; Holly Norris; Brittney Sikora; and Meagan Walker.