5. #NotACrime Street Art Mural

Not a CrimeParisian street artist Astro for #NotACrime in Harlem

#NotACrime is the hashtag for the Education is Not A Crime Project, a campaign to bring global awareness to the issue of human rights abuses in Iran. The mural project, which began in November 2014, is designed to provoke conversation about education discrimination and human rights violations. Fifteen renowned street artists will create 15 murals in 30 days – all in Harlem – to be completed in time for the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, when Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani will be in New York.

Parisian street artist Astro recently added to the #NotACrime mural project with his wall entitled Astro’s Gate (above) on 123rd Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. In keeping with the theme of the project, he created a rendition of the gates of Tehran University in Iran, where he symbolizes a light at the end of the tunnel.