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Using Public Art to Inspire a Community in East Harlem, New York
Strolling through East Harlem on a Saturday afternoon the streets are bursting with activity. Street vendors hawk shaved ice, locals hang out in community parks, and kids run around the playgrounds. But if you stop for a moment at East 104th Street and Lexington Avenue, you’ll be rewarded with one of the most fabulous examples of public art in the city. Look up and you’ll see The Spirit of East Harlem, a gigantic mural that covers the entire side of tenement building. East Harlem artist Manny Vega Jr. restored this magnificent mural in 1998 that he originally helped to paint in the 1970s. Today it brilliantly looms over the bustle of the neighborhood as a beacon to the relentless spirit of the artistic community in East Harlem.
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