How the country’s tallest mural was painted onto the side of this NYC building

In the South Bronx, a towering mural by Dominican artist Néstor Omar García, known as Angurria, now adorns the side of a public housing building, reaching 29 stories high. Titled Un MAR de Gente / From Every Shore, the artwork serves as a public art piece, transforming the dull facade of the New York City Housing Authority building into a vibrant scene.

FOGA, a strategic consulting firm, and ArtBridge, a New York City-based nonprofit, spearheaded the project, collaborating with the community for a year to bring the mural to life. Angurria painted the mural in three sections, each representing a different aspect of neighborhood life. The top section symbolizes the passing of knowledge from older generations to younger ones, while the middle section showcases a lively party scene with residents wearing the borough's X symbol, an elderly man in a Knicks cap, and a young woman wearing a hijab and Yankees jersey.

The bottom section features children playing around an open fire hydrant, representing childhood innocence. The mural was created with the help of grants from Public Housing Community Fund and MAC Viva Glam, and FOGA organized workshops with South Bronx residents to collaborate on the design. A swing scaffolding lift was used to paint the mural, which required 22 days of work.

The mural has become a symbol of community pride, with neighbors proudly pointing out their contributions to the cityscape.