The artistic aura of the city oozes through the slivered cracks of brick and shapely spreads into individual’s logos, tags, and commissioned work. Hundred-year-old walls have seen the likes of Banksy and Fairey, but in my opinion, what is most artistic are the carefully crafted messages nestled between antiqued pressed glass windows and rusted metal framed doors by unknown city dwellers. Raw emotions, questions, and ideas are presented by the average everyday experiences of unfamiliar people. Illegal? Yes. Powerful? Yes. These are more than just cosmetic beauty marks on the (Big) apple of the NYC cheek, they are life altering symbols of empowerment and stand for progressive movements. They are what art should be.

Devyn Holbrook