The Buffalo AKG Art Museum's Public Art Initiative, with leadership support from Erie County, has unveiled a new installation, a vibrant polytab mural greeting visitors to the Jesse Nash Health Center at 608 William Street in Buffalo. The installation, the work of Philadelphia-based artist Ben Volta with the support of local artist liaison Edreys Wajed, is the first Public Art installation placed on a county facility and was shaped and created with robust, hands-on public participation and input from residents and students in the neighborhood.
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz today joined Erie County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein, the Buffalo AKG’s Curator of Public Art Aaron Ott, Erie County Legislator Lawrence Dupre and community members to celebrate the colorful new installation.
“The Public Art initiative continues to transform our community, empowering residents and unleashing their creative energy to beautify and brighten neighborhoods. This installation is a great example of incorporating that energy into a stunning mural that all can be proud of,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Placing art in communities countywide enriches our lives, stimulates conversations and brings people together. We are creating a better Erie County that reflects who we are as a community, and I thank everyone who shared and contributed to this wonderful work.”
The mural work was directly informed by the Nash Health Center’s location on Buffalo’s East Side and by classroom workshops with students from Harriet Ross Tubman School (BPS 31), located 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 paint days.
Numerous community-oriented paint days were held at the William-Emslie Family YMCA, adjacent to the installation site, with additional paint sessions held at Eat Off Art at the Tri-Main Center that included leadership opportunities for several young artists of color including Emeka Wajed, Bree Gilliam, and Niaja Boles.
“We are thrilled to be unveiling this dynamic new mural for our community,” said Aaron Ott, Curator of Public Art at the Buffalo AKG. “This project was collaboratively designed and painted by local students and other members of our community. This installation is a great example of what public art can do for communities; it connects people across organizations and generations, it adds vibrant color to our landscape, and it calls attention to the services available to our public by the county.”
“608 William Street is the home base for our department’s clinical services for county residents of all ages, and it is so exciting to have vibrant and distinctive public art that welcomes patients and staff to this facility,” said Dr. Burstein. “We are proud to deliver high quality, confidential and affordable medical care for family planning and women’s health, sexual health and STI prevention, testing and treatment, PrEP, tuberculosis control and immunization services. We proudly operate as a safety net with an emphasis on preventive care, and no one is turned away because of an inability to pay. Endeavor Health recently opened an office at the Center and this partnership expands access to mental health care and substance use treatment for the surrounding neighborhood.
The Public Art Initiative began in 2013 as a partnership between the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and Erie County, later joined by the City of Buffalo. Since then, in more than 40 murals, installations, residencies, and works of sculpture the initiative has sought to empower artists, inspire viewers, and strengthen a sense of our shared landscape with art that reflects the beauty and vitality of the many communities that shape it.
For more information:
On the Jesse Nash Health Center, visit https://www3.erie.gov/health/locations
On the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, visit https://buffaloakg.org/
On the Public Art initiative, visit https://buffaloakg.org/community/public-art
