Remembering Mickey and Jordan
Hello,
I’m Katherine Pessecow, the Executive Director of Community Canvases and co-founder of WNY Trash Mob! I don’t write often because Hy has it all so nicely covered, but I felt the need to acknowledge our beloved community partners and friends, Jordan Celotto and Mickey Harmon.
I’ve started and reworked this piece multiple times because it is impossible to explain how much Jordan and Mickey meant to the Buffalo community, art scene, and all of their friends and family. When the people that really knew them write or talk about them, I am touched by the depth, substance, and sense of community Mickey and Jordan shared—both individually and through their love. Their existence makes you realize the profound impact two people can have within our unique, beloved, Buffalo-centric community.
Instead, I will try to honor what I have learned from them—especially Mickey—in the times I have had the pleasure of working with him and, in typical Buffalo fashion, seeing them at (or usually after) events.
1. Be Authentic.Permalink
Mickey knew how to show up as an artist, a friend, a professional, a “buffa-lebrity,” a guest, an activist, and in many other ways that only the people that deeply knew him could describe. Most impressively, he always showed up as himself. From everything I’ve heard and experienced, Jordan did too.
It will always amaze me that the same person could make an A+ eloquent public presentation on historic preservation and show up at a contentious Hostel & City Hall meeting/protest with his finest set of protest pearls, only a few hours later.
Mickey and Jordan’s authenticity brought out the best, as well as accepted the worst—in others, and in Buffalo, herself.
2. Do the Work.Permalink
When I first met Mickey, I had just moved back to Buffalo during a pivotal, life-changing time. Trash Mob Co-Founder Dave Corey recommended I connect with his fellow Allentown Board Member to discuss his ideas on trash and The Allentown Association’s possible participation in our first ever regional Earth Day Contest. I liked Mickey immediately because communication with him was both concise and thorough— it also probably helped that he was hilarious.
Without a clear ask, he helped us enter The Allentown Association to the cleanup, and immediately offered to donate a piece of his own framed artwork as a contest prize. Much to my surprise, after helping me hash out some contest details, he also allowed us to use his store, Pine Apple Company (now known as The Good Store), as a place to test run our potentially crazy idea of a “Hub Site,” where random, unregistered community members could stop by to pick up supplies and drop off their trash. His feedback as the person who worked behind the counter during the event was, again, invaluable, and it shaped the model we use for community engagement and social media today.
It’s also noteworthy that he was the only sponsor to complete his form as soon as we sent it, and he always had his donations neatly packaged, on time. Over the next four years we worked with Mickey, he consistently delivered much more than he promised and met every deadline on time, if not early. He also played a pivotal role in reworking our online content and even featured in (and filmed!) our first reel, back when I was terrified to put my face or name online. Maybe we’ll even post that story someday…
3. Show up.Permalink
Mickey was the king of this. If he was even somewhat passionate about a cause, he was present in supporting it—with Jordan likely close behind. Everyone knew Mickey knew how to leverage his loud, but like Jordan, he also knew how to work quietly from behind the scenes. For example, he was very passionate about the Trash Infrastructure and Culture in WNY, and he never hesitated to donate his time, shop, or title in a way that drew attention to the issue, rather than to himself. He was also a phenomenal cheerleader and mentor when it came to community leadership, working within systems, and creating impactful infrastructure. The team and I really appreciated that he knew how to ask thoughtfully poignant questions that helped us sort out big ideas. He and Jordan had the rare ability to mix creativity and productivity—they carried out their projects to fruition and still somehow made their work look effortlessly fun.
4. Raise Others Up.Permalink
Through their authenticity and action, I have heard and read countless stories about how they made their friends, neighbors, and strangers feel. I even have a few memorable moments myself, and I’d love to hear more.
A couple days after the loss, I got caught in several accidental and meaningful conversations with friends that knew them well. It immediately stuck out to me that the way Jordan and Mickey lived was more infamous than their tragic and untimely deaths. Even though each conversation happened at a different time, in a different place, every person I met seemed to have the same persistence in 1. Appreciation for the way both men made people feel, and 2. The importance of carrying on the special light that caused Buffalo, and its neighbors, to shine.
I am grateful to see their dreams of a better Buffalo live on through the people, places, and groups they impacted, and we have nothing but love and respect for those who loved and were loved by them 🤍
On behalf of the trash community, “Thank You, Mickey and Jordan, for all you’ve given and inspired.”
Please let us remember,
“It’s your Buffalo
It’s my Buffalo
We are neighbors”
And, as I remember shouting back and forth on Allen St with Mickey, “Everyone’s gotta clean up the damn trash!!!”
Love,
Katherine Pessecow
