1,500 feet of fence. Fifty artists. Three days: On three weekends in August and September 2019, 50 Uptown artists came together to transform three blocks of fencing located adjacent to the 125th Street Metro-North station into a canvas for murals that support and uplift the community, and create a vibrant gateway to Harlem.

At the same time, the project brought Uptown artists together to create freely and legally in the public space. The call was open to any artist based in New York City, with preference given to artists with connections to Harlem, Upper Manhattan & the Bronx.

By Charlie Elo

Charlie Elo was born and raised Uptown, and is always honored to be able to work in his home neighborhood. A Bronx-based Dominican artist and filmmaker, his body of work spans themes including using animals as a representation of the urban jungle known as New York City, as well as depictions of the NYC mass transit system. Having painted large-scale murals both locally and internationally, Elo primarily utilizes aerosol and acrylic paint. For Uptown Grandscale, he has envisioned NYC as it is - a concrete jungle. .

Ty Erin Mendez

Ty Mendez is proof that young women can do great things! The daughter of D.J. TedSmooth and a fixture since birth with the Team Straightface crew, Ty began to think of herself as an artist when she was 10 years old and began painting messages of love, kindness and inspiration on rocks and pebbles that she would share with others. For Uptown Grandscale, she painted her first larger-scale mural. Her takeaway after two days of painting? "My arms hurt!"

By Doris Rodriguez

Doris Rodriguez is a native of the Dominican Republic who teaches art at a public school here in Harlem. Her work features representational figures placed against layered and textured backgrounds, and she often infuses her work with political social commentary, finding the energetic tension between precision and chaos. She is an alum of Parsons, the New School for Design, and has exhibited internationally, winning awards for her illustrated books. For Uptown Grandscale, she layered geometrical and floral design with the image of a little girl, to showcase the fragility and strength of our East Harlem youth.

By Souls NYC

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Souls NYC is a prolific aerosol artist who not only loves to paint, but also breakdance, and teach afterschool youth. He has a great appreciation of street murals as an art form and its ability to convey positive energy and blessings. He has served as the understudy of Meres One (the founder of 5 Pointz). For Uptown Grandscale, he created an homage to East Harlem-born artist, Tupac.

Hector Macho

Hector Macho is a East Harlem resident whose art forms include not only painting but also body piercing and tattoos. For Uptown Grandscale, he depicted a woman who is being cradled by the hands of God.

NATALIE LUCRE

Natalie Lucre is a Bronx-based artist with a degree in illustration. Aside from being a full-time studio assistant, she freelances as a muralist and graphic designer. For Uptown Grandscale, she brought her big design and bold color to her portion of the wall helping warn off bad spirits and energy on 125th Street.

EVAN BISHOP & KATORI

Born and raised in the Boogie Down Bronx, Evan Bishop grew up on University Avenue, a few blocks from the birthplace of hip-hop. He developed his graffiti skills on walls in the Bronx and in the underground No. 1 train subway yard, with his desire to paint superseding the dangers of rival graffiti crews and active third rails. Over the years, he has worked in various formats, most recently in digital graphic and body art, and in helping to produce the largest community art project in the history of Yonkers, Yes Yonkers. His first commissioned mural in Harlem was at 125th Street & Fifth Avenue, and he is honored to return to 125th Street to bless a wall on the streets that Franco The Great made famous. For Uptown Grandscale, he worked with Katori Kids to empower the community with art that incorporates the symbols of West African adinkra symbols and abstract masks.

KRISTY MCCARTHY & LINA DIOSA

Kristy McCarthy, a.k.a. D. Gale, is a self-taught painter, muralist and community organizer. She has lived in East Harlem for eight years and is the founder and director of the Harlem Art Collective. She has painted murals and organized public art projects all over the world and in El Barrio, with the themes of her work often dealing with the interconnection between people and nature, as well social justice issues. For Uptown Grandscale, she worked with Colombia-based artist Lina Diosa to create "A Room of Ones Own" on East 125th Street between Park and Lexington, a piece intended to offer an image of comfort to those who do not have the safety or comfort of their own private space to sleep at night.

ADAM NEGRON

Adam Negron was born and raised in El Barrio. A proud dad, he is also a graffiti and street artist who is a frequent contributor to the Guerilla Gallery organized by the Harlem Arts Collective on East 116th Street between Third and Second avenues. He is also a veteran of the 100 Gates Project. For Uptown Grandscale, he contributed his signature bold graffiti and colors.

NICOLE GARVIN

Nicole Garvin is visual artist who was born and raised in the Bronx. She is one of two women of color who in 2013 founded the BronxArtHouse (BXAH), which explores the intersections between art, design and culture. Her work is an interaction between typography, graphic design, and pieces of comic-book iconography and color. See if you can discover the history of Harlem in her creation for Uptown Grandscale.

LOST BREED CULTURE

Lost Breed Culture is an art collective led by Fausto Manuel Ramos and Luis F. Perez, two New York City natives who have known each other for more than a decade. Known for their fluid ability to work together either on a whim or via a dynamic planning process, Lostbreed keeps focus on honoring tradition and keeping alive the ongoing evolution of creative expression, fashion, music and lifestyle. For Uptown Grandscale, they honored the legacy of Louis Armstrong.

NOAH XFIR

Noah Xifr, a.k.a. BIRD, was raised in Kingsbridge in the Bronx, where he got his start in comic books and street art. He has also lived in Washington Heights and in East Harlem. His artwork uses poetic graffiti and anthropomorphic creatures to encourage a sense of inner peace and help build empowered communities. For Uptown Grandscale, he created a family of triumphant birds to inspire self-reflection.

IDER

IDER is a graffiti writer who uses art to make cities beautiful. Hailing originally from Jersey City, he is part of a movement called Preserve Jersey City that is working to clean up some of that city's roughest blocks. Along with his friends, he created the message "PRESERVE LIFE" to reflect the mindset behind what they were doing. Originally, the words for them meant to save the art, culture, music and history that are important to the community. As he has painted the image with his son Avirey Cain in various locations, including for Uptown Grandscale, it has begun to take on additional meanings. As a former user of hard drugs who is now three years clean, IDER says: "I can truly say that art saved my life, so if I can use it to spread some kind of consciousness throughout the world, then I am all for that — all day, every day."

JENNIFER JIMENEZ

Jennifer Jimenez was raised Harlem, works in Harlem, and now lives in the Bronx. A painter, Illustrator and graphic designer, she is inspired by art icons such as Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat and loves to explore the freedom that art brings.

QUA

Shanequa (Qua) Benitez lives in Harlem and loves it. Originally from Yonkers, Qua is an abstract impressionist artist who creates everything from murals to textiles. She is a veteran of the 100 Gates Project. For Uptown Grandscale, she brought one of her "Never Conform" bears to Park Avenue.

ERICA PURNELL

Erica Purnell loves portraits and bold prints, and loves to marry the two with large, unapologetic strokes. Having designed custom footwear and apparel for more than a decade via her company IGOTPINKEYE, she is now a full-time creative who paints, designs and teaches art to kids and peers alike. Inspired by connection and roots, one of her heroes is her grandfather. For Uptown Grandscale, she will paid homage to the story of her family, and all the families, who have immigrated to Harlem and spent generations working to build New York City.

DTORE

Dtore grew up influenced by graffiti and cartoons, and started out drawing in his school notebooks. For Uptown Grandscale, he brought one of his exaggerated characters to the walls near the train tracks.

O'SHEENA SMITH

O’Sheena Smith is a native New Yorker who can trace her Harlem roots back to 1950s. After graduating from East Harlem’s Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, she went on to study architecture at Hampton University. First painting landscapes as a hobby, she is now one of the founding members of the Harlem Art Collective and its Guerrilla Art Gallery on East 116th Street between Third and Second avenues. She has also painted for the 100 Gates Project.

LAURA ALVAREZ

Laura Alvarez is a teaching artist and the vice president of BxArts Factory, an organization committed to unlock the inner artist in the Bronx community. An experienced illustrator, muralist, graphic designer and artivist. Laura currently works for NYC Parks & Recreation, where she creates public programs and organizes cultural events. For Uptown Grandscale, she brightened the wall with her signature eye-flowers and mandala-flowers to create a dialogue about who is looking at us and issues of safety. She hopes her piece serves as an “Amuleto” to watch over the community.

ISAIAS CROW

Gibran Isaias Lopez, a.k.a. Isaias Crow, is part of the Gera Lozano crew who brought us "Uptown Sunshine Fabric." An international mural artist and author, Isaias draws on bright colors and bold geometry to represent human energy fields, consciousness, subconsciousness, dreams and desires. He creates intuitively, reflecting the diverse communities he visits with artwork that reflect each place’s powerful energy. For Uptown Grandscale, he created the "Harlem Messenger of Inner Power" on Park Avenue between 124th & 125th streets, a jaguar who represents inner power and courage.

ROB AYALA

Rob Ayala is a Bronx-based visual artist and musician who often creates with his wife Christy (see above). Multi-dimensional and versatile, his artwork generally depicts dark themes explored through bright colors. In 2014, he founded the artist collective Fantasy in Color. In addition to making art, he is also a member of and producer for the music group Pink & Blue. For Uptown Gra0ndscale, he painted his signature king.

CHRISTY AYALA

Christy Ayala is a self-taught Latina artist who was born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx. She often works with her husband Rob (see below). Open to many creative paths, her artwork is inspired by personal experience of love and pain, as well as an interpretation of her surrounding environment. For Uptown Grandscale, she painted her signature koi fishes and eye-flowers.

DAVID PAUL KAY

David Paul Kay has lived Uptown in Inwood for a decade. Originally from Eastern Europe, David moved to New York City in 2008, where he soon after developed his black-and-white signature style. Using vibrant lines and infinite perspective, he transforms canvas, paper, fabric, walls and various other mediums into intricate kinetic pieces. His collaborations and commissions include: The "Montblanc x David Paul Kay" global campaign, PayPal New York headquarters, the Equinox Orchard Street showroom, and Cadillac during Art Basel Miami. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited and included in private collections in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, and Dubai. For Uptown Grandscale, he created a thought-provoking abstract pattern with a message to inspire others to imagine.

FUNQEST

FUNQEST was born and raised in Gifu, Japan, where he was inspired by anime and manga. Following a lifestyle as a rock musician in his twenties, he began drawing with influence from traditional Buddhism and developed a unique style that examines the impure nature of human beings. He now resides in NYC and expresses a universal vision through his work.

HECTOR LEDESMA

Hector Ledesma lives between New York City and Santo Domingo, and began his art studies at the National School of Fine Arts and the APEC University, which he soon advanced to focus exclusively on painting. He has made more than 100 exhibitions between individuals and collectives locally and internationally, in art galleries, museums and art fairs from New York City to Barcelona, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Martinique, Miami, Montreal, Oaxaca, Quito, Santo Domingo, San Juan, Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago. He brought his bright figures to Uptown Grandscale.

STAFF 161 & THE EBONY DUKES

STAFF 161 is has been writing graffiti since the early 1970s, and was one of the founders of The Ebony Dukes, a.k.a. TED, INC., one of the first group of writers dedicated to piecing on the NYC subway system. Born out of Fort Apache in the South Bronx, the group built chapters in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Staten Island and Connecticut, and welcomed writers from different backgrounds and nationalities, as well as many females. The work of The Ebony Dukes and STAFF 161 appears in the 1974 book, "The Faith of Graffiti," by Norman Mailer and photography by Jon Naar, the first book published about the NYC subway writing movement that still stands as some of the best photographic documentation of this pioneering era. For Uptown Grandscale, STAFF 161 painted his signature Grim Reaper as a throwback to one of his most notable pieces, a whole subway car he painted in 1972 that was one of the first uses of a character painted on an MTA train.

ANGRY RED

Sean Slaney "Angry Red" has lived in East Harlem for two decades. A multidisciplinary artist, he has done everything from street art to sculpture, to designing window displays for some of the citys most well-known department stores. His current artwork utilizes stencils to create bright patterns of unrelated objects, people and animals. For Uptown Grandscale, he incorporated stencils to make psychedelic street pop.

LANCE JOHNSON

Lance Johnson has familiar ties to Harlem - his mother was raised nearMarcus Garvey Park. Lance feels that art is therapy. He wants his work to inspire people from all walks of life. He has created a number of projects in Harlem including, Angel Harlem, Corner Social, CityMD and Greystone Development. For Uptown Grandscale, he created vibrant colorful celebration of Harlem, highlighting its musical contribution to the world.

MONALISA DOPE

Naoimy Bonilla is an energy healer and herbalist who lets the universe guide the strokes of her brush. She paints as her soul speaks.

DISTER

Dister Rondon is a professional dancer, artist and director. Born and raised in Washington Heights to Dominican parents, he has always appreciated rich culture. He considers hip-hop, breaking, salsa, mambo and graffiti to be the fabric of his being. He tours, teaches, paints and choreographs worldwide. For Uptown Grandscale, he incorporated elements of Black Lives Matter and his "I LOVE MY HOOD" project that is mentoring youth, painting murals and educating our community for social change.

GIANNINA GUTIERREZ

Giannina Gutierrez is a mixed media artist residing in El Barrio, NYC. Giannina’s work has been featured in several exhibitions & publications, in addition to working on several public art projects in NYC and Puerto Rico. She is presently working on new bodies of work and upcoming exhibitions and mural projects. For Uptown Grandscale, she created an urban jungle scene that is an homage to the busy hub that is the Harlem 125th Street Metro-North station, all while honoring the tropical roots of the community with lush green plants and colorful flowers.

SLONE

Victor "Slone" Ramos is a graffiti writer who has been into the art form since 1976, when he was 11 years old, after he watched another writer tag a train. He most recently has painted with Bad Garcia as part of the Lookout Crew, and was inducted into the Graffiti Writers Hall of Fame in 2011. For Uptown Grandscale, he painted what he says it feels like to be a graffiti artist: Bursting with desire to paint and create art.

LOLA LOVENOTES

Lola Lovenotes was immersed at a young age in Bronx graffiti culture. Heavily influenced by anime, youth culture, nature and fairytales, she strives to create art that is charged with her emotional and spiritual vision of the world, usually involving feminine figures. She primarily works in paint, but has a great love for using different mediums, methods and styles to spread the movement of love. Currently she is on a personal journey where most of the art she is creating is in tribute to her ancestors; she plans on sharing with the community at Uptown Grandscale.

JESS ROLLS & ROB FOSTER

Jess Rolls is a curator and artist based in Harlem who makes site-specific work with paintings, ceramics and social events. Her work focuses on close and long-term collaborations with artists, communities and the local neighborhoods in which she lives and works. Jess recently created a nomadic artist studio-kitchen to host community dinners and art making. For Uptown Grandscale, she collaborated with Rob Foster on a piece that is site-specific and intended to relate to the natural cycles around it. Robert Foster is an artist-in-residence with Jess Rolls in Harlem. His practice includes painting, sculpture, calligraphy and paper marbling. Rob is interested in meditation and how art can engage an audience in a moment of contemplation. In recent work, Rob has employed esoteric practices including tarot and alchemy to create paintings, sculpture, text and performance. For Uptown Grandscale, he collaborated with Jess Rolls on a piece that is site-specific and intended to relate to the natural cycles around it.

MENACERESA

Menaceresa is an artist team comprised of Menace Two and Resa Piece. Menace Two is a graffiti artist who specializes in spray-painting calligraphy, typography and graffiti-style letters. Resa Piece is an artist/muralist who specializes in spray portraits, landscapes, animals and everything in-between. Together they create murals that combine both styles of lettering and imagery. For Uptown Grandscale, they created the wonderful world of Louis Armstrong.

ANNA LUSTBERG

Anna Lustberg is a graphic designer, illustrator and professional people-watcher based in New York City. She started writing and illustrating stories when she was four years old. Anna graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 2017, she published a coloring book for all ages, "Life is Short: A Coloring Book. " She illustrated and designed a children’s book by author Seymone Kelly titled "Joyner and Magical’s Big Dreams," released in February 2019. For Uptown Grandscale, she created cover of the children's book that tells the story of two young children and their hopes for the future.

ANJL

Kristin “ANJL” Doeblin started painting graffiti in 2002 and has developed her art in various styles, as illustrated by her many murals and portraits. She is also an accomplished martial artist in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and an active member of the martial arts community. ANJL has painted all over the world, including Hong Kong, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina and Puerto Rico. She enjoys beautifying spaces that were otherwise bare, with energy that highlights the culture of the neighborhood. For Uptown GrandScale, she painted one of her favorite characters, la “Reina de Salsa,” Celia Cruz.

RALPH SERRANO

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Ralph Serrano loves to give the world color. Now a resident of East Harlem, his appreciation for art extends him to various forms including music/digital art, body art and photography. He is the founder of the ARTEóMUERTE collective and artist brand., and his mural art can be seen from East Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn, to Jersey City, Miami, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and beyond. For Uptown Grandscale, he brought his signature style and bold color, wrapping from 125th Street to Park Avenue.

OBE

Jason Martin is a resident of Harlem who for more than three decades has painted everything from subways to major large-scale murals. Originally from Australia, where the street art scene is much like New Yorks — vibrant and bustling — he has always had a strong appreciation of and cameraderie with the street art community. For Uptown Grandscale, he painted a female guru surrounded by the beauty of what makes Harlem great.

HEKTAD

Hektad is a New York City graffiti pioneer. In 1982, at the age of 12, the Bronx native set out to compete with veteran bombers such as Mitch 77 and Chris 217. After an intense 12-year campaign on New York’s streets and transit system, Hektad took a break to focus on his family. In 2013, he returned with his whimsical “Love Drunk” hearts and humorous anecdotes, and became one of the artists commissioned to paint the base of the future 2 World Trade Center. Currently, Hek is experimenting with many mediums tinged with traditional graffiti. For Uptown Grandscale, he brought his "I Choose Love" theme to 125th Street.

LAMKAT

Kat Lam, also known as LAMKAT, is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in abstract geometric designs in both large and small format media. Her work showcases a contemporary abstraction to a wide range of subject matter. By simplifying objects into precise geometric shapes and utilizing bold colors, patterns and textures, each of her pieces depicts the depth and perspective needed to live a full and vibrant life. Her work can be found across the United States, and internationally in Canada, Australia, Poland and Colombia. For Uptown Grandscale, she drew inspiration for design, pattern work and color palette from traditional textiles from various African countries.

DREPH

Neequaye Dreph Dsane is a London-based visual artist who is known for large-scale portraits in the public realm of ordinary people with extraordinary stories. The only non-New York-based contributor to Uptown Grandscale, Dreph happened to be passing through on our first painting day, was captivated by the project, and wanted to be a part. A resident of London's East End, Dreph is perhaps most well-known for "You Are Enough," a series of 10 murals that depict women of African and Caribbean descent that pays "tribute to ordinary women who do extraordinary work for the betterment of their communities and society." For Uptown Grandscale, he painted a portrait of Country, one of the men who has been a fixture under the Metro-North tracks at 125th Street for decades. Born in Virginia, Country became a resident of the streets after he moved to New York City with a friend and his living situation fell through. He now has an apartment through the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS), but still spends his days on the street, since the community of people here are his friends.

JOSE BAEZ

Jose Baez is a Puerto Rican painter who was born in the Bronx and spent much of his teenage years copying comic-book covers and Saturday-morning cartoons. His paintings use graphic stylistic line-making and pop-culture color combinations along with raw textures pulled from New York City. He has exhibited his studio work at venues including P.S. 109 here in East Harlem, the Bronx Documentary Center, and the L.I.C. Arts Open, as well as created large-scale murals at locations including the Welling Court Mural Project, Soho Hospitality Group and SpinNYC. For Uptown Grandscale, he drew on graffiti and surrealist stylings to result in a colorful, bold and bouncing narrative.

MARTHALICIA

Born and raised in Harlem, Marthalicia is known for her large-scale portraiture of both humans and nature, and likes to explore the harmony between both. Marthalicia is an alum of La Guardia High School of Performance and the Arts, as well as the U.S. Army National Guard. Encouraged by faith to pursue her art form, her works in Harlem include the portrait of Dizzy Gillespie on 135th Street for Education Is Not A Crime. For Uptown Grandscale, she challenges us to think of the beauty & preciousness we find in children and in nature with her portrait.

MURJ

Murj has a degree in fashion design, and that can be seen in her work, which places large focus on color, fabric and print. Growing up with family across Harlem, Murj has worked across the neighborhood as well as with artist groups in various cities, and feels drawn to projects where she can collaborate.

SHIRO

Since growing up in Japan, Shiro has revered hip-hop culture and her art now fuses old-school New York graffiti with the Japanese aesthetic. Having worked as a nurse in her early years and experiencing the end of life up-close, she uses her art to spread the message of loving life and living it to the max. Her character, "Mimi," is emblematic of strength and femininity. She now travels around the world, and has painted murals in 18 countries. For Uptown Grandscale, she brought Mimi to Harlem with a Rastafarian twist, an homage to Shiro’s love for reggae music.

ALEXIS DUQUE

With a psychedelic precision reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s, Alexis Duque produces meticulously architectural compositions of trippy, absurd buildings and towers. Through his playful stacking and piling, he reorders cities and charts the psychological experience of space. A resident of Harlem for 15 years, Duque holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Antioquia, Colombia, and his work has been exhibited in East Harlem’s El Museo del Barrio, as well as venues around the world. For Uptown Grandscale, he created an intricate, single-panel piece of forest architecture.

SFA

SFA is a graffiti artist based in Washington Heights who draws inspiration from the graffiti lettering throughout New York City’s subways, parks and sidewalks. He is also a founder of the Harlem Art Collective that maintains the Guerrilla Art Gallery on East 116th Street between Third and Second avenues. For Uptown Grandscale, he has created a message of joy and “shows no hate” with the streets of Harlem.

TOO FLY

TooFly’s journey into the world of art began with her commute to New York City public school, during which she immersed herself in the myriad of graffiti tags, fill-ins and outlines she saw along the way. Ecuadorian in heritage, TooFly especially is drawn to working in collectives of women that push and represent independent artists in the usually male-dominated urban art scene, and has most recently worked with the Ladies Love Project and Grafiteras. Recognized for her hard and fluid style, and signature “Love Warrior” character, TooFly has also painted at 5Pointz, Wynwood Walls and Bronx Museum of Art. For Uptown Grandscale, she depicted a strong woman of color from Harlem.

LADY K FEVER

Lady K Fever is a Bronx-based inter-disciplinary artist and educator who works in painting, installation, photography, performance and public art. A veteran of community art, Lady K has been a part of projects including "Under the Viaduct" with the West Harlem Art Fund," "Bronx Lab: Style Wars" at the Bronx Museum, and "Graffiti Research Lab" at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). She has been featured in book "Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents." Most recently, Lady K completed a Truck of Art for the NYC Department of Sanitation, which will be on display on the final day of Uptown Grandscale painting on Sunday, September 22 (Party On Park). For Uptown Grandscale, she brought her signature flowers to 125th Street in a message of environmental responsibility, drawing themes from the 2019 Climate March.

LESNY JN FELIX

Born in Haiti, Lesny JN Felix’s first influences as an artist were the kaleidoscope of bright pink, turquoise and green produced from nearby houses when overlooking the horizon.Immigrating to the United States as a young teenager and now a resident of East Harlem, Lesny began his life as an artist in his twenties. With no formal art education, his first works were collages, followed by painting on canvas with Matisse-like swirls. A stream-of-consciousness painter, Lesny’s artistic interests are colors, shapes and the blank space of the canvas. For Uptown Grandscale, he has returned to his piece over many days and hours, always creating in the moment and drawing inspiration from the energy around him.