Media Advisory: Arts Collective Commemorates 30 Years With Monumental 800th Mural

May 18, 2026
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Arts Collective Commemorates 30 Years With Monumental 800th Mural On Lower East Side

NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 18, 2026) – A new large-scale mural on the corner of Avenue C and E 6th Street will pay homage to the history of the Lower East Side neighborhood and its thriving commercial corridors. The mural project is spearheaded by Thrive Collective, a nonprofit organization with a 30-year history of arts and mentoring, bringing professional artists and New York City students together to collaborate on 800 murals throughout the city. Thrive Collective has a rich history in the Lower East Side, and has painted more than 50 murals in the neighborhood.

The “Loisaida Thrives” mural will be Thrive’s 800th mural, and will be unveiled during the 39th annual Loisaida Festival, on Sunday, May 24. It stretches around the entire corner, incorporates local community input gathered by Thrive, and features the people, places, and local businesses that have been an important part of the neighborhood’s history. The mural will also honor Thrive’s transition from a NYCHA-based afterschool center and safe haven for teens on the Lower East Side that launched in 1996, into a citywide arts education movement that has colored all five boroughs since 2011.

The NYC Department of Small Business Services has sponsored the project through a 2026 Public Realm grant. “Public spaces should also reflect the culture and creativity of the communities,” said SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya. “By funding the Thrive Collective, SBS is investing in the rich history and cultural identity of the Lower East Side. Murals like this transform high-traffic corridors into vibrant community landmarks that celebrate the people and small businesses that are the foundation of New York City’s neighborhoods.”

Thrive Collective’s Murals Art Director Marissa Molina has led the project. “At its best, public art elevates public spaces by celebrating and inspiring the beauty of local communities. This mural highlights the multi-generational resilience and cultural diversity of Alphabet City that makes it a hub of opportunity for immigrant families, artists, and entrepreneurs.”

Images within the mural include a portrait of local restaurateur Adela Fargas, for whom the street was renamed in 2023, b-boys (commonly known as breakdancers) dancing on a spinning record, and the former bandstand in FDR Park along the East River that was a historic event venue until it was torn down in 2021. The mural will also include portraits of Pastors Rick and Arlene Del Rio, who co-founded Abounding Grace Ministries church a half block away from the mural, on E 6th Street. Pastor Rick is currently fighting stage 4 cancer as a result of being the first clergy responder to arrive at Ground Zero after FDNY Chaplain Father Judge died on 9/11.

Pastor Rick and Pastor Arlene are the parents of Thrive co-founder and executive director, Jeremy Del Rio. “This corner means so much to me personally, and my family,” Del Rio said. “My entrepreneurial parents started businesses, non profits, and Abounding Grace Ministries half a block from here in 1982 and have literally given their lives in service of the community. My father is currently battling cancer from his time as a 9/11 first responder at Ground Zero. This mural celebrates the thriving neighborhood they and their generation built for generations to come.”

The wall where the mural is currently in progress previously featured the popular “Alphabet City” mural that included creative depictions of all 26 letters of the alphabet. That mural remained at the corner for roughly 11 years before falling into disrepair and being painted over last summer.

More About Thrive:

Thrive Collective is a 501(c)(3) organization and licensed New York City vendor with various agencies that creates hope and opportunity through arts, sports, and mentoring in and around public schools. Thrive’s core programs – Murals, Music, Media, Mentors, Sports, and Events – connect artists, youth workers, and volunteers with local schools as teaching artists, art directors, coaches, and mentors. Project-based learning and accredited curriculum integrate life and art skills during in-school electives, after-school enrichment, seasonal intensives, and weekend engagements.

In 2025, Thrive students and artists completed 120 school and community murals across 34 NYC Council Districts; 14 original songs, cover art, and music videos; 5 student films and a PSA; and one fifteen-episode podcast. They were presented via dozens of art festivals, ribbon cuttings, school assemblies, & community events, with support by more than 60 professional artists of various disciplines.

Thrive originated in 1996 as a youth center in NYC Public Housing, serving primarily Hispanic youth. For fifteen years, 85-90% of its students came from PS/MS 34, the public K-8 school across the street. In 2006, Thrive began strategically bringing services into the school building and completed its first mural project at the school in 2007. Within 3 years, PS/MS 34 was an A-rated school. In 2011, Thrive Collective incorporated and transitioned to a school-based program model that has since brought its leadership development, mentoring, and arts and culture programming to schools and neighborhoods in all five boroughs, six states, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. In 2026, Thrive returned to the exact space on Avenue D where it launched as a youth center in 1996, and now uses the space as a headquarters.