NEW YORK, NY, MAY 13, 2019 – NYC Pride, the official host of WorldPride 2019 | Stonewall 50, is thrilled to announce the WorldPride Mural Project initiative, in collaboration with production and curation partner, LISA Project NYC, founding partner, HSBC Bank, and major supporter, Macy’s. Both local and international artists, 50 in total, were selected to create murals within the five boroughs of New York that reflect and honor the beauty, struggle, and strides of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Beginning May 1st, the initial set of murals will be on display in Manhattan, beginning at Arlo NoMad in Midtown. Over the course of May and mid-June, the complete set of murals will be unveiled, culminating before the WorldPride 2019 | Stonewall 50 season commences and remaining intact throughout the duration of the month's celebration. Macy's is set to reveal their murals on June 6th in the windows of Macy’s Herald Square and will remain throughout June.

“Art, in all its forms, has always been an integral means of expression in the LGBTQIA+ community, and particularly meaningful to the fabric of New York City’s culture,” said Chris Frederick, Executive Director of NYC Pride. “Street art is a poetic example of this expression and the 50 WorldPride muralists will, no doubt, combine beauty and poignant messaging at a time when our collective stories can be – and must be – told.”

Buff Monster, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Nomad Clan, Kunle Martins aka Earsnot IRAK Crew, Gianni Lee and STIK are just a few of the artists whose work will be highlighted as part of the WorldPride Mural Project.

● Buff Monster is a New York City street artist who uses bright colors, bold lines and funny characters to make the world a better place. He names heavy metal music, ice cream, pop art, Japanese culture and graffiti as major influences. For over 15 years, he’s worked with leadingc urators to paint murals all over the world and is included in Banksy’s Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop.

● Tatyana Fazlalizadeh is a Black/Iranian visual artist and Oklahoma City native. A painter whose work ranges from the gallery to the streets, she uses visual art to address the daily oppressive experiences of marginalized people, through beautifully-drawn and painted portraits. Her street art series, Stop Telling Women to Smile, can be found on walls across the globe.

● NoMad Clan is the collective of Cbloxx and AYLO, an internationally-acclaimed, street art muralist duo based in Manchester UK and proudly sponsored by Kobra Spray Paint. When the pair collaborate, the fusion delivers an unmistakable style. Each mural has a strong significance to the environment in which it sits, combining playful scenes with detailed portraits of characters from some of the tales they hear in local public spaces – true acts of preserving heritage.

● Kunle Martins is one of downtown New York’s most infamous characters: the graffiti artist known as Earsnot, who eventually found himself working in art studios, rather than city streets.His design clients include the likes of Nike, ALIFE, Fucking Awesome, Violette, and, of course, Supreme. Martins worked alongside Jesse Geller for Miami Art Basel, and even landed a cameo appearance in season two of HBO’s How To Make It In America.

‍● Gianni Blass Lee is a Visual Artist , Music Producer , International DJ and Fashion Designer who started gaining popularity through the viral successes of various mixtape series’ he curated. These garnered the attention of important industry voices such as Interview Magazine, Hypebeast, Pitchfork & L.A. Times. Lee uses painting as a language to tell the story of a people fighting for their home and their existence. While the self-made DJ/Producer finds many ways to manipulate sound, he also credits his fashion brand Babylon Cartel and his paintings for their influence on his unique style.

● Stik, is an artist from London whose simplified black and white figures have graced buildings from New York, to Jordan, to Norway, to Germany. As a firm believer in human rights and the freedom of speech, Stik has made his artworks both aesthetically appealing and socially relevant.

“It’s an honor for LISA to produce and curate the WorldPride Mural Project, working with the NYC Pride team and contributing to the celebration of these milestones in the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Wayne and Rey Rada, founders of LISA Project NYC. “We are a part of this community and so it’s truly momentous that we get the chance to share public art throughout the five boroughs, created by diverse artists from around the world.”

“Our support of this city-wide public art project is an expression of our global public support for WorldPride 2019,” said Patrick J. Burke, President and CEO, HSBC USA. “No one could have envisioned how much the world would change in the 50 years since Stonewall, but there’s still so much more to do. HSBC will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the LGBTQIA+ community to encourage a better tomorrow where we all feel valued, respected and supported to express ourselves and fulfill our potential.”

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with NYC Pride this year as together we bring the WorldPride Mural Project to our iconic Broadway windows at Macy’s Herald Square. Diversity and inclusion are core to Macy’s values and we join our LGBTQIA+ colleagues, customers and communities in celebration of WorldPride 2019 | Stonewall 50 and National Pride Month in New York and in cities across the nation,” said Jose Gamio, Macy’s senior director of Multicultural Community Engagement.

The full list of mural locations will be available for viewing in the weeks ahead at www.worldpridemuralproject.org.

WorldPride 2019 | Stonewall 50 will be comprised of more than 25 different events for LGBTQIA+ and allied people during the full month of June, 2019. Throughout the course of the celebration, all WorldPride events will ladder up to the foundational theme, “Millions of Moments of Pride.” Join New York City, and the world, this June as we honor the past, celebrate our differences and march together for our future. For more information, visit: www.worldpride.org.

Media Contacts:
James Fallarino | Media Director
james@nycpride.org

Eboni Munn | Communications Manager
eboni@nycpride.org | (212) 807-6424

Cathy Renna | Media Consultant
cathy@targetcue.com | (917) 757-6123

ABOUT LISA PROJECT NYC
The LISA Project NYC is a volunteer based non-profit organization dedicated to bringing a diverse group of local, national and international artists to Lower Manhattan. Creating meaningful public art programs to meet the needs of an evolving Downtown community, The LISA Project NYC believes the best art, is public art. In iconic neighborhoods, shelters, historic sites and public schools, LISA Project NYC is proud to continue to create opportunities for artists to transform our shared public spaces. Learn more about LISA at: lisaprojectnyc.org

ABOUT HSBC
HSBC Bank USA, National Association (HSBC Bank USA, N.A.) serves customers through retail banking and wealth management, commercial banking, private banking, and global banking and markets segments. It operates bank branches in: California; Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Maryland; New Jersey; New York; Pennsylvania; Virginia; and Washington. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is the principal subsidiary of HSBC USA Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings Inc. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is a Member of FDIC. Investment and brokerage services are provided through HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., (Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC) and insurance products are provided through HSBC Insurance Agency (USA) Inc.

ABOUT MACY’S
Macy's is America’s store for life. The largest retail brand of Macy's, Inc. (NYSE:M) delivers quality fashion at affordable prices to customers at approximately 640 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam, as well as to customers in more than 100 international destinations through leading e-commerce site macys.com. Macy's inspires fashion exploration and discovery through the most desired family of exclusive brands for her, for him, for the home, and via our dynamic mobile and social platforms. We know the power of celebration, demonstrated through decades of memorable experiences created during Macy's 4th of July Fireworks® and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®, as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows, and celebrity appearances. Macy's flagship stores – including New York City’s Herald Square – are internationally renowned and preeminent destinations for tourists. With the collective support of our customers and employees, Macy's builds community and helps make a difference in every market we serve, supporting local and national charities by giving nearly $50 million each year, plus 146,000 hours of volunteer service. For more than 160 years, Macy’s has, and continues to make life shine brighter for our customers, colleagues, and communities.

ABOUT HERITAGE OF PRIDE
Heritage of Pride, Inc. is the volunteer-directed organization behind the official NYC Pride roster of events. Heritage of Pride’s mission is to work toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law. We do this by producing LGBTQIA+ Pride events that inspire, educate, commemorate and celebrate our diverse community