The Bronx just got a whole lot more colorful. Rising more than 260 feet across a 29-story public housing tower, “Un MAR de Gente/From Every Shore” is now the tallest mural in the United States. Created through a collaboration between public art nonprofit ArtBridge, the MAC VIVA GLAM Fund and the Public Housing Community Fund, the massive work was unveiled today at NYCHA’s Morrisania Air Rights development, bringing art, culture and community to new heights.
About the Mural
Nestor Omar Garcia, known as Angurria, the award-winning muralist famous for his distinctive style and his focus on Dominican identity, painted the mural with his studio Monumental.do, in partnership with Bronx native Fernando Ortiz, founder of FOGA, a public arts and creative studio. It features MAR community members across generations and celebrates the people and cultural legacy of the surrounding neighborhoods.
“I grew up in Los Alcarrizos painting the people of my neighborhood, and in the South Bronx I found the same pride, the same strength, the same families. For decades, the city has driven past these towers without really seeing who lives inside. The residents of MAR gave us their stories, and in them, every family in the Bronx can recognize its own. Now the whole Bronx can look up and see itself,” Angurria, Lead Artist and co-founder of Monumental.do shares.
The design came out of a months-long community engagement process. ArtBridge, Angurria and Ortiz worked with residents, local youth and the MAR Resident Association through a series of workshops to gather the stories and perspectives that shaped the artwork. Ortiz previously led community engagement for the “WE ARE THE BRONX” murals within the Third Avenue BID. Completed in 1980, MAR is home to roughly 1,950 residents across three towers built using air rights over Metro-North rail tracks.
How MAC VIVA GLAM Got Involved
MAC VIVA GLAM awarded ArtBridge a $165,000 grant to support the mural and its community-driven development. Founded in 1994, MAC VIVA GLAM donates 100% of the selling price of VIVA GLAM lipsticks to charitable partners worldwide. “Environmental equality isn’t only about access to green space, it’s also about how our surroundings make us feel. Through our partnership with ArtBridge, we’re investing in public art as a tool for visibility and connection, helping transform a space that has long felt overlooked into one that reflects the creativity and pride of the community it serves,” says Rachel Lockett, Vice President of Marketing, MAC North America.
“ArtBridge’s programming has a simple premise: Artists can be a powerful force to amplify the voices of communities – especially those communities that have been historically disenfranchised. We are thrilled that M·A·C VIVA GLAM believes in this premise, and has helped us bring to life the tallest ever mural in the United States, at NYCHA’s Morrisania Air Rights. It has been a transformative experience to work alongside Angurria, Fernando, MAR residents, MAR TA President Ms. Tanya Pedler, NYCHA, and PHCF, to bring this vision to life at such a monumental scale. This mural doesn’t merely represent the vision of a singular brilliant artist – it represents the collective voices, histories, and cultures of a vibrant community,” says Stephen Pierson, Executive Director, ArtBridge.
“Un MAR de Gente/From Every Shore” puts the people of Morrisania Air Rights on the tallest canvas in the country. MAC VIVA GLAM’s grant helped turn residents’ stories into a mural the entire South Bronx can see — serving as a reminder that beauty brands can make an impact beyond the products they sell. To learn more about the brand’s mission, visit maccosmetics.com/vivaglam.
