2022 You Are
Not Alone S+5
Murals Project
A statement. An art form. A movement. You Are Not Alone Murals Project is a community-based art project that offers a message of hope, and aims to spark dialogue around mental health. In 2022, seven murals from nine artists covered more than 90 feet and were designed by some of New York City’s best mural artists.
For the third year in a row, the project, which features murals from local artists, has returned to the Seaport in honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month. You can discover these murals along the East River Esplanade and bike path, north of the Tin Building, located on South & Beekman Streets.
2023 ProjectLocation
East River Esplanade, South & Beekman Streets
Meet the Artists
Eric W Lee
Eric is a freelance graphic designer & illustrator based in Brooklyn. Bold and clean in style, he specializes in logo & identity design and custom illustration for apparel, packaging and social media marketing. He enjoys long bikes rides, shooting photographs all around the city and designing & slinging merch for his online shop, Alone Time Co.
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Calicho Arevalo
Architect and artist from Colombia. Just as the humpback whale migrates from the south to the north, Calicho from Bogota, Colombia, came to NY to continue his studies in architecture, but the vibrance and passion of the city developed his intensity for art. Inspired by the contrast in cultures of Latin America and Northern America. Calicho incorporates inspiration of his people and culture, alongside the stark buildings of opportunity NYC offers. The lushness of Latin fruit, the wildness of Amazonian animals. The bright and vibrant colors of Colombia align cohesively with the direct clean lines of architecture. Calicho expresses the relationship between history and humanity, incorporating indigenous people, and the gold that inspired this collection.
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Zipeng Zhu
Zipeng is a Chinese-born artist, designer, art director, illustrator, and animator in New York City who wants to make every day a razzle-dazzle musical. His clients include Apple, Adidas, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Twitter, Netflix, New York Times, Harry’s, Viacom, The New Yorker, Fox, Away, CNN, MTV, Chobani, and Samsung. He was one of the Art Directors Club Young Guns 13 winners and has been recognized as Print magazine’s New Visual Artist and The One Show Young Ones. His work has been exhibited all over the world including New York, Barcelona, Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai, Beijing and other major museums and institutions. Now he runs his creative practice Dazzle Studio and gift shop Dazzle Supply to push dazzle to the next level.
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Jason Naylor
Jason is a Brooklyn based artist, known for bright colors and even brighter messages & themes, commonly found on large scale murals around the world. His work explores the communication of human emotions using organic shapes, bold colors and a strong design aesthetic. Jason has partnered with brands like Coach, Pepsi, Sephora and Toyota, and his work is recognized globally, including earning honors from the ADC, CLIO and NOVUM Design Awards. People love Jason for his unforgettable colors and the optimism woven into his work. His relentless positivity and kindness translate across many mediums and applications, and his technicolor murals capture the hearts of everyone who sees them. Jason’s artwork has leapt off walls and canvases onto celebrity clothing, luxury bags, soda cans, boats, TV shows, and even hot air balloons. Jason brings a fresh taste of love and kindness to all of his projects, and desires to use his work to spread love, good vibes, and do some good in the world.
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Jessie Mordine Young
Jessie (b. England, 1993) is a Brooklyn-based artist who researches, writes about, curates, makes and teaches textile art. She also makes large scale, abstract murals inspired by nature. She is also part-time faculty at Parsons School of Design at the New School.
Jessie grew up between the Bay Area, California and New Delhi, India, where she was introduced to various art and craft communities, many of which advocated for autonomy over their practice. Through extensively researching various craft histories , she has developed an appreciation for slow, thoughtful acts of making as an act of self-preservation.
Efdot
Eric Friedensohn (AKA Efdot) is a visual artist, creative director and skateboarder based in Brooklyn, NY. He studied Graphic and Product Design at Drexel University in Philadelphia, finishing in 2012. Since then, Efdot has cultivated a small design studio, a fine art practice and a creative community that bridges traditional painting with digital mediums. Efdot is known for pulling references from nostalgic moments and places, employing playfully abstract styles with bright color palettes. His process is inspired by the improvisation of skateboarding, travel, music, nature and architecture. His past clients include Nike, Coca-Cola, Topps, Madewell, the New York Knicks and Adobe. Outside of client and commission work, he creates fine art and other things directly for his audience via the Efdot Studio Shop.
Subway Doodle
Subway Doodle is a multimedia artist known for blending illustration and photography to create imaginative depictions of New York City. He is also an accomplished writer, director, designer, editor, and creative director. His work has been recognized with two Emmys, dozens of media industry awards, and displayed at the Museum of the Moving Image. When he’s not doodling, Subway Doodle is an editor and designer at The Mint Farm, a creative marketing studio in Brooklyn that produces short-form content for television and social media. Subway Doodle resides in Brooklyn, NY with a house full of monsters.
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Will Pay
Will (he/him) is a former graffiti writer turned product designer. Born and raised in New York City, he spent the first part of his career creating typographic murals and doing creative direction for young dtc brands. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Time Out New York magazine. His clients include Bareburger, Beatnic, Pret A Manger, and more. In his free time, he shoots night photography, and freelances as a videographer. His influences include traditional sign painting, and New York graffiti and street art.
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Kasi Turpin
Kasi is a package designer, illustrator, letterer and muralist based out of New York City. She’s spent the majority of her career doing package design for various agencies, specializing in food and beverage. Kasi is the owner of Lady Luck NYC where she sells her digital illustrations along with select merchandise that she prints, packs and ships out of her studio in Brooklyn.
Learn MoreAbout You Are Not Alone Murals
Launched in New York City in 2019, You Are Not Alone Murals is a community-based art project that consists of 50+ murals globally. In addition to showcasing murals, artists also work in other mediums (digital, ink, marker, textiles, chalk, cut paper). In order to participate, an artist paints a mural in their community or creates artwork in another medium. Each artist illustrates the phrase: You Are Not Alone (in any language), uses the the color palette of yellow, black, white, and gray, and then shares their work online. While these key elements are repeated for impact, each artist brings their unique style, story, and heart to the project.
You Are Not Alone Murals was founded by long-time friends Annica Lydenberg (Dirty Bandits), art director, lettering artist, illustrator, and mural painter, and Samantha Schutz, Editorial Director, mental health advocate, and the author of the critically-acclaimed anxiety disorder memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy. Samantha Schutz, co-creator of You Are Not Alone Murals says, “The murals and digital works remind viewers that no matter what challenges each of us is dealing with, our emotions are universal. No one is immune to anxiety, grief, anger, shame, and sadness. We are fundamentally connected through our humanity and, therefore, never alone.” “Repetition is an important component of the project,” says Annica Lydenberg, co-creator of the project. “Whether people see the works digitally or in person, the goal is for viewers to feel seen and supported. The more often someone comes in contact with the message, the greater the impact and the more likely they will feel the message applies to them.”
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