The Museum of the City of New York Partners with ̨ɫ to Offer Inaugural “City as Canvas” Street Art Inspired Retail Collection
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (August 24, 2023) - The (MCNY), NYC’s storyteller for a century, and ̨ɫ, a travel experience leader, today announced a street art inspired lifestyle collection titled “City as Canvas” – a new line of apparel, accessories, confectionary, and gifts. The retail program consists of more than 40 coordinated items including hoodies, tee-shirts, hats, caps, a selection of gift chocolates, and more. The debut collection draws inspiration from iconic graffiti featured in the Museum’s ground-breaking exhibition City as Canvas about the birth of NYC street art.
“Given the Museum’s vast collection and its reach as both a local and global museum, ̨ɫ is the perfect partner to launch our program, especially given their customer base and store footprint,” said Sheryl Victor Levy, VP Marketing Communications for Museum of the City of New York. “Millions of people travel to and from JFK International Airport, and what better way to take a piece of NYC home with them than with our City as Canvas-inspired product?”
“̨ɫ is proud to support the Museum of the City of New York and work together to develop a retail collection that is an authentic representation of the iconic graffiti and street art in New York City,” said Joe Landolfi, Senior Vice President at ̨ɫ. “This new partnership highlights our commitment as a company to celebrating and elevating local entrepreneurs, artists, and businesses through uniquely curated merchandise in our stores.”
The new merchandise is available in select travel convenience stores operated by ̨ɫ throughout John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminals 1, 4, 7, and 8, with expansion plans in development. Along with the apparel and confectionary items, travelers will also be able to purchase the book, City as Canvas: Graffiti Art from the Martin Wong Collection, which explores the work of young graffiti “writers” in 1980s New York City through the works amassed from East Village artist and collector Martin Wong.
“City as Canvas” launched at JFK Airport and is part of the Museum’s larger licensing program with recently announced program partners including JFKIAT branded content and a first-look deal with storyteller Lisa Cortés of Cortés Filmworks. The “City as Canvas” retail program is also available in the Museum’s and on-site shops.