A Complete Guide to Street Art on Hertel Ave in Buffalo

In case you live under a rock and haven’t noticed, Buffalo’s street art game is strong. Seriously.

What’s even better is that it’s more than just a few pretty Instagram photo-ops (though we’re totally here for that, too). All of the amazing murals that cover previously blank walls around the city help to bring in more foot traffic for local businesses and give local artists an opportunity to show their stuff, all while leaving Buffalo more beautiful than before. 

While it feels like street art can be found just about anywhere you go these days (not complaining), Hertel Ave is a good place to start if you’re looking to scope some of it out for yourself. Heading East to West, here’s where you can find all of the masterpieces on Hertel Ave:

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1. Jerry Garcia Mural – 1172 Hertel Ave 

Artist: C. Gallagher

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When on Hertel Avenue, make sure to say hello to Jerry Garcia. #hertelwalls #buffalove

A post shared by Tommy Gallagher (@tgallagher66) on Oct 8, 2018 at 1:35pm PDT

2. Untitled – 1188 Hertel Ave 

Artist: Eduardo Kobra

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Estou aqui em Buffalo/ EUA , a convite do Museu Albright–Knox. Tive a honra de pintar um mural sobre Mark Twain, que viveu dois anos nesta cidade. Além de ter sido um dos mais importantes escritores, ele teve um papel incisivo na luta contra o racismo. Na imagem, Twain está ao lado do seu grande amigo afro-americano John T. Lewis. Uma curiosidade que inclui na minha obra: Mark Twain nasceu e morreu em anos de passagem do Halley (1835 e 1910), por isso há quem afirme, poeticamente, que ele foi trazido à vida e levado embora de carona com o cometa. Foto: Brenda Turteltaub As I was invited by the Museum Albright–Knox Art . i'm here in Buffalo, in the United States, where I had the honor of painting a mural about Mark Twain, who lived here for two years. In addition to being one of America's foremost writers – author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – he played an important role in the fight against racism. In this picture, Twain stands next to his great African-American friend John T. Lewis. Fun fact that I had added to my work: Mark Twain was born and also died in years that Halley appeared (1835 and 1910), so some people say, poetically, that he was brought to life and left taking a ride with the comet.

A post shared by Eduardo Kobra (@kobrastreetart) on Jul 27, 2019 at 6:12pm PDT

3. Goo Goo Dolls Mural – 1212 Hertel Ave

Artist: Philip Burke

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A post shared by Tom Boquard (@team_soy_) on Sep 5, 2019 at 3:09pm PDT

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4. We Are Here – 1260 Hertel Ave

Artist: White Bicycle 

 

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I realized the other day I literally don’t own jeans without rips. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 📸: @footiepjs

A post shared by Emily (@emily_malkowski) on Aug 8, 2018 at 4:17am PDT

5. Buffalo Map – 1297 Hertel Ave

Artist: Mario Zucca 

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Murals on #hertelavenue #buffalony #murals #buffalomurals #muralsofbuffalo #visitbuffalo #igers_buffalo #buffalonewyork #travelbuffalo #buffalohiddenplaces #newyork #upstatenewyork #westernnewyork #muralsdaily #muralsofinstagram #hastagstepoutbuffalo #travelbuf #igersbuffalo #igersbuffalony #buffaloproud #queencity #thebiggerbuffalo

A post shared by Prachi Kadam (@prachi9) on Aug 25, 2019 at 6:13pm PDT

6. Magic Buffalo – 1322 Hertel Ave

Artist: Bunnie Reiss

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Buffalo Street Art – Part 2. ❤️❤️#hertelavenue #hometownpride #weekendgetaway #murals #buffalomurals #buffalove

A post shared by Ileah Mother of Remy & Sashi (@iwelch77) on Sep 24, 2019 at 4:54am PDT

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7. Lookin’ Good – 1472 Hertel Ave

Artist: Casey Millbrand 

 

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Lookin’ good Buffalo! Sending you all some Buffalove this Sunday! 😎 -Usnavi • • • #hertelwalls #hertel #dogsofbuffalo #dogsofinstagram #dogs #buffalo #buffalove

A post shared by USNAVI THE DOG (@iamusnavi) on May 26, 2019 at 9:56am PDT

8. Weego – 1503 Hertel Ave

Artist: Chuck Tingley 

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@chucktingley @ogresmash. weego, 2018. 1503 Hertel Ave #BuffaloNY. @albrightknox #publicart #mural #art #streetart #AKPublicArt #hertelwalls #buffalo #iliketurtles

A post shared by Buffalo NY Murals (@716streetart) on Jul 29, 2019 at 9:50am PDT

9. Gord Downie Mural – 1669 Hertel Ave

Artist: Rory Allen

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For everyone starting school (or anyone just needing a lil inspiration today), some wisdom curtesy of the great Gord Downie. #gorddownie #tragicallyhip #hertelwalls

A post shared by McNulty (@mcnulty_the_schnoodle) on Sep 4, 2018 at 1:38pm PDT

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10. Hertel Postcard – 1787 Hertel Ave (Corner of Voorhees and Hertel)

Artist: Vinny Alejandro

 

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Mural alert 🚨 This cool new “Welcome to Hertel” Mural by @mcspik1 is located on the corner of Voorhees and Hertel. Check it out and comment what you think! #HertelWalls #Buffalove #LittleItaly #hertelavenue

A post shared by Hertel Walls (@hertelwalls) on Jul 9, 2019 at 12:49pm PDT

11. Smiles and Appreciation – 1872 Hertel Ave

Artist: Kimberly Hardy

BONUS: Hertel Alley Gallery

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We are thrilled with the turn out of the Hertel Alley Street Art Festival this weekend. Thank you to the amazing artists, volunteers, and store owners for all of your help and cooperation. These are only some of the murals, we will be featuring more all week on our page. Enjoy!!! ☺️ #hertelwalls #hertelave #buffalony #streetart

A post shared by Hertel Walls (@hertelwalls) on Jun 4, 2019 at 7:34am PDT

What was once just an empty back alley behind a few local businesses is now the beautiful Hertel Alley Gallery, thanks to the new Hertel Alley Street Art Festival– an event created earlier this year by Vinny Alejandro (a name you may recognize from above) and other local creatives. 

The alley itself runs parallel to Hertel from Treymore to Colvin, remaining a fairly secluded hidden gem in North Buffalo- but rest assured, it’s accessible for the public to enjoy. Below are just a few of the murals that were created during the festival, which took place this past June: 

Yellow Buffalo

Artist: Nicole Cherry

 

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Love myself some summer street art 🐃☀️

A post shared by patricia🌚 (@pattiiaguirre) on Aug 29, 2019 at 3:27pm PDT

Pizza mural

Artist: Elyssa Harper

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The final slice. @fivefootharp Hertel Alley between Colvin & Crestwood. #hertelavestreetartfestival #hertelwalls #buffalopizza #buffalo #streetart #buffalostreetart #buffalove 2019

A post shared by Buffalo NY Murals (@716streetart) on Jul 21, 2019 at 6:35am PDT

Til death do us part

Artist: Ashley Kay

 

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My finished contribution to the Hertel Alley Gallery! Til Death Do Us (P)art💫✨⚡️ . . Big Thank you to @mcspik1 and everyone else involved in putting together such an inspirational weekend in Hertel Alley! So great to see our hometown making big art movessssz like these & What an honor to be surrounded by so many talented artists! Where are we painting next buffalo? 😈

A post shared by A S H L E Y K A Y🌙 (@art_ashleykay) on Jun 4, 2019 at 5:40pm PDT

Fish

Artist: Chris Main

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@plygrnded #mural #hertelalleyartfest 2019. Hertel Alley #BuffaloNY #hertelwalls #streetart #buffalo #murals

A post shared by Buffalo NY Murals (@716streetart) on Aug 27, 2019 at 4:07pm PDT

Palooza

Artist: Tom Holt

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Hertel Ave mural-palooza . . . . . #hertelalley #hertelwalls #hertel #hertelave #buffalo #publicart #mural #graffitiart

A post shared by Jordan Sullivan (@at_action_park) on Sep 23, 2019 at 7:41am PDT