Elio Mercado (aka Evoca1), DJ Carr
Perry Homes Mural,
Public Artwork Details
Location:
305 Perry Street, Buffalo NY
Perry Homes BMHA (Get Directions)
On Friday, September 25, 2026, the Buffalo AKG celebrated the completion of a mural on the new Perry Homes in downtown Buffalo. The mural by internationally celebrated artist Elio Mercado (a.k.a. Evoca1) is the latest manifestation of the partnership between the Buffalo AKG and the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority (BMHA). In 2023, the Buffalo AKG Public Art Initiative completed Aaron Li-Hill’s What Is Here, the museum’s tallest mural to date, on the BMHA’s LBJ Apartments on Humboldt Parkway.
Starting in the fall of 2025, the museum began meetings with the residents of Perry Homes to consider what the mural would ultimately become. In hearing the residents’ stories, learning their interests, and thinking together about the best artwork that could be collaboratively produced, Mercado was selected to produce the mural. The museum also enlisted photographer DJ Carr, a Buffalo native, to photograph the residents. Carr’s photographs were later incorporated into the mural design along with other elements proposed by the residents.
The mural is located on the community building that was constructed in Phase 1 of the BMHA’s Perry Homes development project. When all phases are complete, the new Perry Homes will include 405 high-quality, all-electric apartments, all of which will be affordable to households with incomes at or below 60% of the Area Median Income, as well as comprehensive on-site amenities.