It’s the summer for street murals as tons of new art has hit the streets of NYC this year!
One of the many wonderful things about NYC is its affinity for beautiful things. NYC is constantly celebrated for its art scene and one of the most common ways NYC honors art is through gorgeous murals that decorate the city’s streets and buildings.
With new works constantly popping up and programs like the NYC DOT’s “Asphalt Art Activations” making an effort to continue to produce gorgeous creations for the community, here’s a list of our favorite murals currently adding life to the streets.
1. Wanderlust Mural brought to you by Chase Sapphire, Williamsburg
This beautiful, 140-foot-long mural inspiring New Yorkers to daydream about their next trip has gone up in Williamsburg, to feed your wanderlust and celebrate the new travel benefits from Chase Sapphire® for new & existing members! Take in the white-painted hilltops of Santorini, the pristine beaches of the Maldives, and the Northern Lights in Norway, and find out about all the incredible perks at Chase.com/MorewithSapphire. Mural is up through August 29. ⭐️ Sponsored⭐️
Where: Corner of Wythe Avenue and N 13th Street, Brooklyn
2. Rice Terraces, Dasic Fernández
Decorating Doyer St. is a 4,800 square foot mural done by world-renowned Chilean artist, Dasic Fernández. “Rice Terraces” is a technicolored, large-scale mural done in part of NYC DOT’s (Department of Transportation) Asphalt Art Activations program, partnering with artists to repurpose and paint asphalt areas into pedestrianized public spaces. Along with a rather interesting history, Doyer Street receives tons of pedestrian street traffic daily and especially during the summer months. Check it out for yourself and take a stroll on the gorgeous rainbow of colors lined by some of Chinatown’s favorite businesses. Read here for more information on Doyer Street and “Rice Terraces.”
Where: Doyer Street
3. Collective Vision, GERALUZ & WERC
If you’ve recently walked past Union Square you surely couldn’t have missed the enormous mural recently designed by Brooklyn-based street artists GERALUZ and WERC. Once again part of NYC’s DOT Asphalt Art Activations program, community volunteers got the entire mural across the 14th St. busway completed in just five days! With themes surrounding social justice and the strength of nature and unity, vibrant flowers of endangered plants “illustrate the power of resilience in standing together against injustice and extinction.” Learn more about “Collective Vision” here.
Where: 14th St. Busway
4. Magic Hour, Steed Taylor
Artist Steed Taylor is responsible for “Magic Hour,” an enormous blue and yellow mural that is now covering Broadway in the Garment District. This gigantic ‘road tattoo’ was made in collaboration with NYC DOT and NYC DOT Art that partners with local artists to put up temporary public installations across every borough. Spanning across 225-feet between 39th and 40th Street, this spectacle is as spectacular on the ground as it is from above! The mural will remain up throughout the entire month of August.
Where: Between 39th & 40th Street on Broadway
5. Carpet Collage, Cara Lynch
“Carpet Collage” was designed by Cara Lynch to be a “living room-like space” right on Vanderbilt Ave. that only took 48 hours to finish. The large street mural can be enjoyed during NYC’s Open Boulevards hours, a program working to add additional dining space and put on community events and pop-up art installations around the city as it heals. Open Boulevards hours run from Fridays 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Saturdays & Sundays from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Vanderbilt Avenue between Dean Street and Bergen Street in Brooklyn
6. East Gun Hill Road Mural, Britny Lizet
This brightly colored mural in the Bronx covers 1,000-feet of Jerome Avenue created by stencil/geometric artist, illustrator, muralist & designer Britny Lizet. This piece was made in collaboration with DOT Public Space and the Jerome Gun Hill BID. You can pass by the area and take a load off as seating and planters have been scattered across the mural for pedestrians to enjoy and take advantage of.
Where: Jerome Avenue at East Gun Hill Road
7. Love Comes In Every Color, Jason Naylor
Coloring 60th street is a new mural by artist, designer, and author Jason Naylor. Located across from the Roosevelt Island tram station, this mural is celebrating love in all forms. Walk up the tram platform and get an even better view of the work that is sure to brighten your day.
Where: 60th & 2nd Ave.
8. RBG Mural, Elle Street Art
Put up earlier this past November to honor the late supreme court Justice, this mural honors Ruth Bader Ginsburg for her revolutionary contribution to the country. The street mural was made possible thanks to the public art charity LISA Project NYC and designed by familiar artist Elle Street Art. Learn more about the mural here.
Where: 177 1st Avenue