What's Happening in Buffalo, NY…

A 97-year-old building on Buffalo's west side is now the canvas on which artists have created a tribute to the city's Hispanic heritage.

Betsy Casañas, an artist based in Philadelphia, created the mural, along with some community members, who got to paint some of the work themselves.

During a five-day period, five-by-five foot parachute cloth pieces were placed in the Central Library. The image created by the artist was then projected onto the cloth to create a stencil. Anybody who wanted to do so was welcome to go to the library, grab a brush, and help paint the mural.

The project was the result of a collaboration among the Rich Family Foundation, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery's Public Art Initiative, and the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York. The mural, which is brightly colored, shows three women: a Spanish dancer in traditional dress, a Puerto Rican woman, and a native woman planting a crop. Other motifs in the mural are based on industry, agriculture, and the textiles of Central America.

Casañas said the actual work was not as important to her as the process of creating it, which gave her an opportunity to make connections with others in the community, and to celebrate her heritage.

When a project is important to a whole community, it can benefit if officials work with a newsletter printing company on a letter that keeps everyone updated about the work.