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COMMUNITY ARTS PROGRAM

Our Community Arts Program is an opportunity for us to invite the community to be a part of celebrating local history and enhancing the unique characteristics and cultures of The Riverline neighborhoods. The goals of this program are to: 

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  • Uplift the diversity and rich history of The Riverline neighborhoods and foster community interactions

  • Provide meaningful opportunities for residents to express themselves in relevant ways through art

  • Inspire ideas for future public art elements along The Riverline as it moves into the final design phase

In 2020, we commissioned an artist from the Old First Ward to work with youth from the Old First Ward Community Center. Together, they completed a mural on the National Fuel substation building at the corner of Alabama and Mackinaw Streets and created a series of colorful bird houses across the three communities on the corridor.

The Riverline Mural Artists

In the spring of 2023, launched our next phase of the Community Arts Program by forming a Community Arts Advisory Committee composed of local residents, established arts organizations, emerging young artists, and others with a vested interest in the mission of The Riverline.

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  • The Advisory Committee invited artists and arts organizations to submit proposals for a community-based project that built on themes derived from community input of “refuge” and “togetherness.”

  • The Committee selected three finalists to display their proposals at a public event, where community members had the opportunity to interact with the finalists and choose top preferences.

  • Based on community preferences, the winning group – Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) – was commissioned to carry out their project. BCAT’s Youth Mural Club designed and completed a mural on a family-owned warehouse building on Moore Street between South Park Avenue and Miami Street.  

  • We celebrated the success of the program and the student artists in October 2023 with a public unveiling event we called “Mural Awakening.”

We envision our Community Arts Program to be an ongoing endeavor and are currently seeking funding for the program’s next iteration in 2024.

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