The Buffalo Pothole Bandit visited Ithaca over the weekend, turning one of the city’s most discussed public issues into colorful tile mosaics.
Since 2022, the Buffalo Pothole Bandit has transformed sidewalk cracks and potholes into public art pieces, leaving a trail of creativity and character along city streets across the Northeast. They requested anonymity for this article, considering the nature of their work.
Drawn by Ithaca’s reputation as an artsy city with an abundance of potholes, the Pothole Bandit decided to bring their artistry to the Commons. During their recent visit to Ithaca, the Pothole Bandit completed nine pieces of art — eight embedded in sidewalk cracks as anecdotal mosaics and one filling a large pothole.
The Pothole Bandit uses cement to fill the holes, overlays a variety of colorful mosaic tiles and then adds found objects such as toys, plastic or anything flat and waterproof. One of their first art pieces in Buffalo, New York, featured a screaming chicken toy that sounded when cars drove over it.
The largest piece the Pothole Bandit completed on their visit to Ithaca is titled Homer in the Bushes, located at the corner of Columbia and Aurora Streets. The pothole required three bags of cement to fill the hole along with green dye, tiles and additives to complete the project. The finished mosaic features a pixelated image of the TV character Homer Simpson from The Simpsons retreating into a green background, a popular meme.
One mosaic, located outside The Ithaca Times’ office, pays homage to journalism. The featured quote was suggested by an editor for the paper who contacted the Pothole Bandit ahead of their arrival. A small black path framed with blue tiling is inscribed just outside the office steps.
“Write what must not be forgotten,” it reads, quoting Chilean-American writer Isabell Allende.
Below, see some of the Buffalo Pothole Bandit’s work in Ithaca over the weekend, with photos courtesy of Casey Martin for The Ithaca Voice. The story continues after the gallery.
Operating under their alias, the artist has opted to keep their identity private as they have built a reputation, and prefer to stay out of the spotlight.
“Also, I would prefer the art to speak for itself,” they told The Sun.
The artist was originally inspired by Toynbee Tiles’ enigmatic, mosaic-like, messages that have been embedded into city streets across North and South America since the early 1980s.
The Pothole Bandit first encountered a Toynbee Tile in the early 2000s and was immediately fascinated by the concept — an elusive artist who imprints linoleum with blacktop sealant into roads to create spooky mosaics.
“To be walking around outside, minding your own business and — BAM — some art in the most unexpected place,” the Pothole Bandit wrote.
There is no specific message the bandit hopes to convey through their art. They said their goal is to spread humor, joy and some creativity in unexpected ways.
Hidden around each of their mosaics, the Pothole Bandit plants a small trinket. These colorful tokens of cement poured into silicone molds began as a creative way to repurpose leftover cement. Now, they craft them intentionally for treasure hunts, adding what they call “a lot of whimsy and fun” for locals and enthusiasts to find.
“It’s nice to share art and humor, while being a little helpful too,” the Pothole Bandit said. “People seem to love to find art in surprising places.”
Cereese Qusba is a reporter at The Ithaca Voice and a news editor at The Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s summer fellowship. This article was originally published in The Ithaca Voice.
Cereese Qusba is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at cqusba@cornellsun.com.
