How the country’s tallest mural was painted onto the side of this NYC building

In the South Bronx, residents can now look up to their heritage—literally. A new mural by the Dominican artist Néstor Omar García, who also goes by the name…

In the South Bronx, residents can now look up to their heritage—literally. A new mural by the Dominican artist Néstor Omar García, who also goes by the name Angurria, climbs 29 stories high on one tower in the Morrisania Air Rights public housing campus. It fills the skyline with a colorful take on a neighborhood block party crowded with children, elders, and, yes, even a DJ.

Titled Un MAR de Gente / From Every Shore, the artwork is said to be the tallest mural in the U.S., transforming an otherwise dull concrete facade of the brutalist New York City Housing Authority building into a public artwork. The project was spearheaded by the New York City-based nonprofit ArtBridge and the strategic consulting firm FOGA. Support came in the form of grants from Public Housing Community Fund and MAC Viva Glam, the line of lipsticks that helps fund community causes.

For a little over a year, the organizers worked alongside the artist and the community to complete the artwork. “Hundreds of windows face this wall—neighbors, schools, offices—so everyone can enjoy this mural from their windows,” says FOGA’s founder, Fernando Ortiz. Stacked into three sections that blend into one another, the mural collages three interconnected stories into a single scene. The top section symbolizes how older generations pass down knowledge to younger ones.

To depict this, Angurria painted his “Doña Patria” character—a woman wearing hair rollers that he based on his mother and frequently returns to in his work—carrying a child on her shoulders. The middle section features a party scene, with seven people wearing common emblems and fashion from the neighborhood. One dons the borough’s “X” symbol on a hat while an elder with a beard sports a Knicks cap and an orange tracksuit.

In the corner, a young woman wears a hijab and Yankees jersey. The bottom section shows two children playing around an open fire hydrant, which represents the past and the innocence of childhood. The entire artwork was conceived of collaboratively with the community. FOGA organized six workshops with South Bronx residents to gain their input. Together they voted on artist they wanted to make the mural, the bright color palette, and the symbols and motifs that would be depicted, like hip-hop and sports teams.