Stephen ESPO Powers

Stephen ESPO Powers

Artist, Author, and Educator
Biography

Stephen ESPO Powers is an American artist, author, and educator whose work bridges graffiti, typography, sign painting, and public art. Stephen Powers Rising to prominence through Philadelphia's graffiti scene in the 1990s, he has become internationally recognized for transforming everyday language into large-scale public artworks that explore love, community, labor, and the built environment.

Powers is best known for A Love Letter for You, his landmark public art project featuring more than 50 rooftop murals across Philadelphia, as well as commissions in cities around the world. His work has been exhibited at major museums and biennials, and he is the author of The Art of Getting Over, a widely regarded history of graffiti culture. Through murals, hand-painted signs, prints, and installations, ESPO continues to demonstrate how art can strengthen neighborhoods, foster civic pride, and create meaningful connections between people and place.

Arts & Humanities Day 2026
The Art of Place: Stephen “ESPO” Powers in Conversation
The muralist and multimedia artist on art’s impact on belonging and shared spacesStephen “ESPO” Powers is the iconic New York-based artist best known for his sign painting and graffiti. Beginning his career in the 90s under the alias “ESPO” (Exterior Surface Painting Outreach), he quickly became a New York staple, covering dozens of storefront grates with bright, playful block lettering and toeing the line of legality.Since then, he’s made the switch from graffiti to become a full-time studio artist. He’s won a Fulbright Scholarship, curated the Dreamland Artist’s Club, which commissioned over 45 artists to repaint signage and transform Coney Island, and has been featured in numerous exhibitions across the globe. Join us as Powers discusses how he uses walls, storefronts, hand-painted signs, and everyday architecture to explore belonging, memory, and the social life of neighborhoods. And how he uses creativity to deepen our understanding of neighborhoods, the built environment, and civic life.Speaker(s): Stephen ESPO Powers and Danielle Aubert
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