Join the Hispanic Society for a conversation with NoMAA Exec Director, Niria Leyva-Gutiérrez and artistTom Sanford about Uptown Visions.

Uptown Visions is the 2026 selection for Art on Audubon Terrace presented by the Hispanic Society Museum & Library and the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA)

In Uptown Visions, Tom Sanford draws on his experience as a longtime Upper Manhattan resident to offer a vibrant expression of the joy, rhythm, and layered experience of Uptown summer life. The work also pays tribute to Joaquín Sorolla’s monumental mural series Vision of Spain, which documents the people and customs of the Iberian Peninsula, and which has long inspired Sanford’s work. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the installation of the Vision of Spain, this project honors Sorolla’s legacy through a contemporary reflection that celebrates the Hispanic Society’s Uptown community.

Tom Sanford is a Harlem-based painter whose work captures the energy, humor, and contradictions of contemporary life. Drawing on the visual language of pop culture, politics, and art history, Sanford’s “Pop-Surreal-Expressionist” style combines bold color, expressive brushwork, and incisive storytelling to portray the beauty and absurdities of modern America. His elaborate tableaux of New York City feature cultural icons and everyday people alike, inviting reflection on celebrity, media, and justice. By transforming the fleeting spectacle of current events into complex human narratives, Sanford captures the evolving spirit of the urban landscape and its broader national context.