14. The 100 Gates Project: East Harlem & Staten Island

The 100 Gates Project has been bringing artists and merchants together in an artistic collaboration on the Lower East Side since 2014, meeting their goal of painting 100 roll-down gates. With the help of the Lower East Side Partnership, artists create a merchants vision on storefront gates seen only when the shops are closed.

In 2017, the 100 Gates Project was given a grant by the New York City Department of Small Business Service’s Neighborhood 360, to expand to Staten Island and East Harlem. Partnering with the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, Staten Island Arts, and the New Harlem East Merchant Association, merchants and artists in both areas of the city were brought together to begin painting. Untapped Cities has been following the artists, and to date, more than 15 gates have been completed in the new targeted areas.