Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo​, Trascender | Leaving a Mark

September 25 – October 31, 2026

Honrando diez años de crecimiento artístico y narración cultural.

Honoring ten years of artistic growth and cultural storytelling.

Recognizing when your community is excluded from opportunities can be a source of deep pain—and the spark that starts something new. As awareness spreads throughout a community and more and more people see that same lack, a collective vision can emerge calling for change to the status quo. Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo emerged under these exact circumstances. They saw a disconnect between the number of active artists in their community and their presence within the local arts and culture scene and decided to do something about it. Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo Trascender | Leaving a Mark highlights the resiliency, legacy, and evolution at the heart of forming and maintaining an arts collective over the last ten years. 

Founded in 2016, Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo (LADB) is an arts collective that exhibits, promotes, and supports Latino/a/x and Hispanic artists of all disciplines located in and connected to Buffalo and Western New York. Formed in response to a lack of opportunities and representation for Latino/a/x artists in Buffalo, LADB strives to create accessible spaces for artistic experimentation and creativity. The collective was co-founded by Michele Agosto (photographer and mixed-media artist), Aileen Gonzalez Marti (fashion designer, painter, and jewelry designer), Vincent Alejandro (graffiti/street artist and muralist), and William Rodriguez (comic book artist and illustrator) and continues to grow each year. 

Exhibitions and programs have been a major part of the group’s work over the last ten years, including partnerships with community groups, local arts organizations, and more. Most recently, exhibitions like Beyond Borders (2022-25) at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center and De aquí, De allá (2022) at Buffalo Arts Studio secured opportunities for artists in their collective to share their creativity and voice with a wider audience. 

At the heart of Los Artistas’ work is a desire to impact and leave a mark on the local community. In 2021, after a mural in the neighborhood celebrating Roberto Clemente had severely deteriorated, Los Artistas sprung into action and led a grassroots effort to replace the mural with a new painted one. Four years later, the collective sourced community input to design, paint, and debut Benito the Bull: a painted buffalo commissioned as part of Buffalo’s Puerto Rican Day Parade. Monthly Open Mics at El Museo, launched in 2026, were organized to carve out a safe, recurring space for local poets to share their work.

Collectives are held together by a shared vision, and the emotional power of doing something meaningful. This passion connects individual efforts and ideas into a wider, more permanent effort that yields recognizable change in the community as like minded people get together to effect change. Featuring work by Michele Agosto, Aileen Gonzalez Marti, Bhagavan Ishaya, Clarimar Galarza, Pardees Goshtasb, Arayoan Tylec, and others, Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo, Trascender | Leaving a Mark reflects on the ten years of artistic growth and cultural storytelling of this collective.