2023 New Union Square NYC Street Mural Unveiled

 Union Square Partnership (USP) today announces a new street mural installation to debut along the pedestrian areas of the 14th Street Busway between Broadway and Union Square West. Titled Union with the Universe, the artwork is designed by Brooklyn-based Spanish artist and educator Vanesa Álvarez and will be installed over five days from May 22-26 with the help of community partners and volunteers.

This will be USP’s 3rd annual street mural, presented in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation’s Art Program (DOT Art) and supported by Street Plans, a Brooklyn-based urban planning and design firm with national and local expertise in delivering asphalt art projects that enliven streets and public spaces. The mural will be on view for millions of New Yorkers and visitors, including the 350,000 pedestrians who walk through Union Square daily, ride buses, and visit upper-floor spaces looking down 14th Street.

Union with the Universe is a call to protect our planet while strengthening our connection with nature and creating a more balanced life. The artwork features peaceful designs and color shades inspiring viewers to slow down, connect with the universe around us and take action to save our planet’s changing climate. The motifs and designs throughout the mural are drawn from one of artist Vanesa Alvarez’s upcoming new illustrative series, featuring bold compositions of waves, mountains and the sky, evoking a sense of Earth’s land before human development. Also within the mural, the flora and fauna, such as butterflies and roses, the state flower of New York, represent migration patterns and metamorphosis. 

In bringing this concept to life within Union Square, New York City – one of the most vibrant, fast-paced urban centers in the world – Union with the Universe pays homage to the district’s history as a place for people to gather together and advocate for social transformation. 

“Vanesa Álvarez’s mural beautifully captures people’s movement throughout Union Square - one of the city’s busiest transit hubs - while incorporating elements that reference our community’s rich history and conversation on the importance of open spaces,” said Ed Janoff, Acting Executive Director of Union Square Partnership. “Union Square Partnership is honored to work with Vanesa, bringing her incredible artwork to 14th Street, and celebrating the mural’s message of reconnecting with the natural world amongst the buzz of the city. We look forward to welcoming community volunteers and partners for the third year running to experience the excitement of the mural installation.” 

“It’s a dream to debut Union with the Universe with New York locals and visitors alike, particularly in such a lively neighborhood like Union Square,” said Vanesa Álvarez, artist of Union with the Universe. “The piece is inspired by natural imagery that celebrates life through colors that stimulate optimism and creativity. I hope that the mural elicits both a sense of calm as well as reflection on how we as people are interconnected to nature wherever we are. As New York – and to a larger extent, the world – navigates a new normal where life is moving quickly again, people need reminders to slow down and reconnect with each other. I’m thrilled to share this mural alongside Union Square Partnership and bring energizing artwork to the people of New York.”

"We look forward to welcoming Vanesa Álvarez and her vision to Union Square in celebration of the mural as a beloved community event and piece of artwork for everyone who comes through 14th Street," said Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President. "The Union Square busway mural is a beautiful piece of community artwork, and I hope the uplifting message resonates with New Yorkers and visitors alike. We're delighted to see the continued support this project receives from community members and partners at DOT and Union Square Partnership."

“The 14th Street busway is a key commuter corridor, and the addition of the Union with the Universe mural will further enhance the experience for everyone who passes through Union Square,” said NYC DOT Manhattan Borough Commissioner Edward Pincar, Jr. “We thank Vanesa Álvarez, Union Square Partnership and the community members and volunteers who are helping to make 14th Street and Union Square an even more attractive destination through this mural's installation.”

NYC DOT implemented the 14th Street Busway project in October 2019 as a new transit and truck upgrade for 14th Street. The center of the busway crosses the heart of Union Square, where sidewalk extensions were installed to make additional walking space. These new pedestrian areas are situated in a highly-visible confluence of foot traffic and transit access. Union with the Universe is the third mural to activate the pedestrian areas on 14th Street. The mural installation will involve approximately 100 volunteers applying 80 gallons of paint covering 7,500 square feet of pedestrianized roadway.

Last year’s 14th Street mural Ripples of Peace + Calm, designed by Sunset Park, Brooklyn artist and educator Ji Yong Kim, was recently recognized by the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA), in partnership with Project for Public Spaces, with a 2023 Great Places Award. The project will be celebrated in Mexico City, Mexico this year as a supreme example of placemaking through public art. The mural was selected by a panel of jurors for its large-scale impact, recognition of Union Square as a place for demonstration and expression, and successful execution in breaking ground in environmental design.

This year’s mural will similarly support, enhance, and celebrate the pedestrian-focused infrastructure in Union Square, referencing USP’s broader ambitions of making Union Square New York’s most accessible place as detailed in the USQ Next Vision Plan. To view the new original street mural Union with the Universe, stop by 14th Street and Broadway from May 26, 2023, onward.

Union with the Universe in the Media

(6sqft) New mural on 14th Street in Union Square celebrates human connection to nature

(Secret NYC) A Massive 7,500-Square-Foot Technicolor Street Mural Has Taken Over Union Square

(Telemundo 47) Artista española pinta colorido mural en parque de Nueva York, pide protección de la Tierra

(Atlántico) La viguesa Vanesa Álvarez exhibe su mural gigante en Nueva York

(La Vozde Galicia) Un mural de más de dos kilómetros de la viguesa Vanesa Álvarez deja huella en Nueva York  

(TeleCinco) Una gallega en Nueva York: Vanesa Álvarez, encargada del mural de Union Square contra el cambio climático  

(Yahoo! Vida y Estilo) Un colorido mural con firma española llama a proteger la Tierra en el centro de Nueva York