Uptown Visions

Uptown Visions is the 2026 selection for Art on Audubon Terrace presented by the Hispanic Society Museum & Library and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA). During the summer months, the streets of Upper Manhattan come to life with music, games of pickup basketball, and infectious communal energy. In Uptown Visions, Tom Sanford draws on his experience as a longtime Upper Manhattan resident to offer a vibrant expression of the joy, rhythm, and layered experience of Uptown summer life. The work also pays tribute to Joaquín Sorolla’s monumental mural series Vision of Spain, which documents the people and customs of the Iberian Peninsula, and which has long inspired Sanford’s work. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the installation of the Vision of Spain, this project honors Sorolla’s legacy through a contemporary reflection that celebrates the Hispanic Society’s Uptown community. Tom Sanford is a Harlem-based painter whose work captures the energy, humor, and contradictions of contemporary life. Drawing on the visual language of pop culture, politics, and art history, Sanford’s “Pop-Surreal-Expressionist” style combines bold color, expressive brushwork, and incisive storytelling to portray the beauty and absurdities of modern America. His elaborate tableaux of New York City feature cultural icons and everyday people alike, inviting reflection on celebrity, media, and justice. By transforming the fleeting spectacle of current events into complex human narratives, Sanford captures the evolving spirit of the urban landscape and its broader national context. Now in its fourth year, Art on Audubon Terrace reflects the ongoing partnership between the Hispanic Societ and NoMAA to support artists living and working in Upper Manhattan while activating public space through contemporary art. Each year, the initiative commissions a new outdoor installation that fosters dialogue between the neighborhood and the museum along with the broader cultural histories represented within the Hispanic Society’s collections. Previous artists who have exhibited as part of this series include Marta Chilindron, Rose Deler, and Oscar Caballero. Uptown Visions is on view from July 1st, 2026 through November 1st, 2026. Stay tuned for updates about programming related to this exhibition.