The Art of Place: Stephen “ESPO” Powers in Conversation

The muralist and multimedia artist on art’s impact on belonging and shared spaces

Stephen “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