Flight of Passage

Not far from the historic downtown Buffalo train terminal known as the DL&W station lies a rich ecosystem of forest and shoreline, marshlands and mudflats, that serves as a critical migration corridor for many species of birds.

That connection to travel was not lost on UB art professor Joan Linder.

Her wall mural, which spans nearly 300 feet of the DL&W’s newly restored train platform, incorporates porcelain tiles emblazoned with digitized hand-drawn illustrations of more than 150 species of birds in flight.

Linder says incorporating motion was a guiding principle in the design of the work, titled “Birds of Buffalo” since all of the birds have been spotted locally.

“I arranged the birds in different directions to give a feeling of movement and activity,” Linder says. “The idea of a diverse flock reminded me of people on the trains. They gather in a car, take off and then return.”

In its own kind of return, the DL&W terminal, more than a century after it was built, and nearly half a century since it was last open to the public, is now back on track as an extension of the Metro Rail, with plans for a new public market and entertainment space in the works.

In addition to creating the mural, Linder worked with Miotto Mosaic Art Studios to make over a dozen intricate glass mosaics to serve as land- marks along the platform.

“I wanted people to be able to locate themselves by the artwork,” Linder says. “Maybe they’ll say, ‘Let’s meet by the mosaic turkey,’ or ‘Meet me by the little bird on the signage.’”