10. Art in Focus public art program at Rockefeller Center

Joel Gaitan's Nicaraguan inspired mural series. Photo by Daniel Greer. Courtesy of the Art Production Fund.
Joel Gaitan’s Nicaraguan-inspired mural series. Photo by Daniel Greer. Courtesy of the Art Production Fund.

Kickstarting this year’s Art in Focus public art program at Rockefeller Center is Nicaraguan-American artist Joel Gaitan’s mural series. In his craft, Gaitan explores his family ancestry and identity as a first-generation Nicaraguan living in Miami, Florida allowing him to touch upon historical hierarchies. His art in Rockefeller Center displays creative interpretations of terracotta vessels liberated from their position as sacred items within Nicaraguan and Central American tradition. 

Throughout 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, and the street and concourse level of 45 Rockefeller Plaza, visitors can pass by Gaitan’s bold and vibrant murals. The vitrine spaces of the lobby in 45 Rockefeller Plaza feature layered installations of photography, Central American aesthetics, and Gaitan’s terracotta vessels with the windows highlighting imagery of Nicaraguan faces including some of the artist’s family members. Gaitan’s murals will be up to view through April 23, 2023.