This inaugural mural of the NASA Art Program envisions a cosmic future through children’s dreams, intertwining their aspirations with a universe of infinite possibilities.
The fusion of figurative elements and organic geometric patterns invites a deeper reflection on our potential for exploration, creativity, and connection to the cosmos.
Hosted by Hudson Square Properties
Special thanks to NASA for this inaugural collaboration
www.nasa.gov
A partnership with Hudson Square Properties and UPS, the work encompasses 34 loading dock gates along 4 blocks, transforming Greenwich Street from West Houston to Spring Street into a unique, engaging, and colorful art installation spanning four city blocks.
“Soul Ancestors” is a celebration of femininity and a visual song dedicated to all the women who put their souls into what they do. Artist Magda Love aims to provide New Yorkers a moment of thoughtful pause in their hectic day.
@magdaloveart
In 2016, this 20,000-square-foot mural became the largest in NYC. Like his other works, Kobra uses trademark kaleidoscopic squares and triangles to create “Ellis,” a piece about immigration inspired by five real immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island a century ago.
Inspired by Massimo Vignelli’s transportation maps (including the 1972 NYC Subway Map), “Desire Paths” is a site-specific work that visually represents the physical connection between city streets and the people who move through them. Seen from afar, the pulse of the urban experience is evident in overlaying lines of color, mimicking the layering of different modes of transport: bus, car, train, subway, or bike in an abstracted, localized version of the surrounding transit networks and city grid.
In this specific site, “Desire Paths” enhances the pedestrian experience by bringing the energy and vitality of New York City plazas where it has previously failed to reach – at the heart of the Holland Tunnel where Canal, Hudson and Watt Streets meet. By energizing this car-dominated intersection, “Desire Paths” aims to create a more welcoming and safe space for foot traffic, anchored by a new state-of-the-art Oonee bike parking Pod.
Learn about Hudson Square’s rich history through a series of hand-painted spheres that tell the story of our neighborhood. Visit these spheres live in Freeman Plaza West, or take a virtual walk around the neighborhood to see the complete set of artworks, learn where these historical moments happened, and hear stories from local experts.
Acclaimed multidisciplinary artist, lifelong New Yorker, and Artist in Residence at The Greene Space, Katie Merz is best known for her contemporary large-scale murals on urban building exteriors and in public spaces. A passionate public radio fan whose work also includes NPR and WNYC host portraits, Merz created a public art piece on the street-facing windows of The Greene Space, inspired by a century of stories that define our city and listeners’ contributions of York, as part of New York Public Radio’s 100th anniversary. Along with the columns outside the Marriot on Varick Street, this is Katie’s 2nd work that is currently on display in Hudson Square.
View “Varick Street Verticals”.
A striking large-scale photograph by French street artist JR, featuring a “Falling Dancer,” adorns an exterior wall of this building. This giant ballerina draws inspiration from JR’s film Les Bosquet and his 2014 collaboration with the New York City Ballet, where dancers inspired several of his installations.
Dan Colen is a contemporary American artist known for his diverse and unconventional use of materials, ranging from oil paint to chewing gum and confetti. His work often explores themes of transformation, decay, and the intersection of popular culture with fine art. Colen’s practice challenges traditional artistic boundaries, creating pieces that are both provocative and deeply reflective. “Slow Drag” is a striking piece that features a NYC bench bent and suspended in mid-air, exploring themes of stasis and motion while capturing the tension between freedom and restraint.
The statue of the Uruguayan independence leader and national hero, General José Artigas (1764-1850), is one of a pantheon of six sculptures to Latin American leaders which overlook the Avenue of the Americas. They include Juan Pablo Duarte (1813-1876), considered the Father of the Dominican Republic, at Canal Street, and Brazilian independence leader José Bonidacio de Andrada e Silva (1763-1838) in Bryant Park at 41st Street. Located on the Avenue at Central Park South are statues of the Cuban patriot, journalist, and poet José Martí (1853-1895), Argentine General José de San Martín (1778-1850), and South American liberator Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).
The larger-than-life statue of Artigas in Spring Street Park is a second cast of an original by José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín (1891-1975), which has stood in Montevideo, in front of the Uruguayan National Bank, since 1949. Zorrilla served as Director of the Uruguayan National Museum of Fine Arts, and was then considered his country’s what is iconically New outstanding sculptor. His father, Juan Zorrilla de San Martín, was both a poet and Uruguay’s Ambassador to Spain. This replica was fabricated by Vignali and Company, and placed on a Uruguayan granite base designed by architect Maria Cristina Caquías.
Bronze, granite
Donated by the Dominican Government to the City of NY
This bronze statue depicts Juan Pablo Duarte (1813–1876), the liberator of the Dominican Republic. Italian artist Nicola Arrighini sculpted the larger-than-life-sized statue of a stately, bearded Duarte in 19th century garb resting on his cane and holding a scroll. Donated by the Dominican Republic, the piece was dedicated in the square on the 165th anniversary of Duarte’s birth on January 26, 1978 and is one of a pantheon of six monuments to Latin American leaders that overlook the Avenue of the Americas.
As a young man, Duarte founded a society called La Trinitaria that sought to promote democratic ideals among the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of Hispaniola Island, most of whom were clustered around the city of Santo Domingo. In 1843 Duarte launched an attempt to free the eastern half of the island from Haitian rule. When the rebellion failed, Duarte fled Hispaniola. When a new revolution succeeded in winning independence for the Dominican Republic in February 1844, Duarte was invited to return as President of the new republic. Although he eventually lost control to a military dictator and died in exile, Duarte was instrumental in developing the Pan-American traditions of democracy and self-government celebrated by the Avenue of the Americas.
Kuki Go is a 3D Tape Artist based in NYC, with more than a decade of experience crafting captivating tape creations. Proficient in various tape art techniques, including layering, texturing, and sculpting, Kuki specializes in linear abstracts with a touch of optical illusion. His art is inspired by urban landscapes, music, and fractals. Known for vibrant, immersive installations in public spaces, sparking curiosity and engagement, his work has been displayed around NYC on open streets, storefronts, and facades. Kuki is passionate about pushing boundaries in Tape Art while maintaining a distinctive style.
Shawn X is an independent artist and creative based in New York, known for her vibrant, visceral, and graphical image-making across digital, spatial, and motion mediums. She creates experiences in music, fashion, and technology, collaborating with clients such as New Yorker, New York Times, W Hotel, Nike, Google, and Ghostly International.
We’re Freeing Ourselves is the first public art project to be hung on the back of a Gantry (the directional signage for cars) in NYC! The Hudson Square BID is proud to bring this kind of innovative, bold, and artistic placemaking to our neighborhood; creating art in unexpected places.
Special thanks to the following organizations who helped bring this project to life: Gilsanz Murray Steficek, Polise Consulting Engineers, North Shore Neon, and Peter J. Catanzaro
A custom-painted working piano that reflects the unique feel of the Hudson Square neighborhood.
Part of the Audubon Mural Project, a public art initiative of the National Audubon Society and Gitler & _____ Gallery, that draws attention to birds threatened by climate change.
The collaborative team of Claudia Ravaschiere and Michael Moss are known for their site-specific installations that play with light and color. Their 90-foot multicolored sculpture, constructed of 5,000 pieces of translucent acrylic for Freeman Plaza East, creates a dynamic prism across the fence of this public park at the edge of the Holland Tunnel.
Brooklyn-based artist Hellbent delivers a stunning hand-painted mural on the façade of 131 Varick Street using his unique designs of interwoven color blocks and stenciled patterns drawn from classic fabric and wallpaper motifs.
Katie Merz, known for her use of personal pictograms and hieroglyphs drawn from stories, conversations and research, creates two unique printed works for 161 Varick and 181 Varick using playful pictograms that reflect both the history and the present moment of the neighborhood.
View Katie Merz’s other installation “Public Art for Public Radio”.
Greg Lamarche’s wall painting at 200 Varick Street features his signature vintage letter forms painted in large scale to create an abstract array of movement, tangled letters and color.
Game Inside the Game’s font-related design is a tribute to Hudson Square’s robust history as the center of the printing industry, paying homage to the power of the printed word and 200 Varick’s storied past as the Graphic Arts Center. Born and raised in NYC, Lamarche’s aesthetics pull from the graffiti of his childhood growing up in Queens.
Hudson Square is a neighborhood teeming with creativity where the people are constantly designing, reimagining, and pioneering new ideas daily; our buildings are literally bursting with creativity. It is no surprise that Hudson Square is a neighborhood of bold, beautiful artworks that convey vibrancy to create an inviting, pedestrian-friendly experience.
From our walkable art gallery along Varick Street, Hudson Square Canvas, to Publicolor’s 4-block stretch reimagining the UPS Gates, public art reflects the dynamism that defines today’s Hudson Square. Many works in our neighborhood are partnerships with organizations like the Audubon Society, NASA, our local schools, and other community stakeholders who express their pride in our neighborhood through bold colors and vibrant ideas.
The art in our neighborhood is more than just art for art’s sake. These works embrace the idea of reclaiming the urban landscape as a canvas for creativity and serve as a reminder that Hudson Square is a place for people.
Use this digital map to explore the different artworks in our neighborhood– remember to tag us in your photos!
Created by Hudson Square BID
Created by neighborhood partners
A special thanks to the Sherwin Williams Co. for paint & supply support.