One year ago, Uptown Voices launched their first episode
with NOMAA. Now, for their anniversary, Led Black and Octavio Blanco
return — this time live inside the breathtaking Sorolla Gallery at the
Hispanic Society Museum in Washington Heights.

Joined by NOMAA Executive Director Niria Leyva Gutiérrez and Uptown Art
Stroll Director Martin Collins, this is a deep, joyful, urgent conversation
about art, community, resilience, and what it means to build something
beautiful when so much feels uncertain.

The Uptown Art Stroll's 24th year. And it has never felt more necessary.

🎨 UPTOWN ART STROLL 2026 — ALL OF JUNE
40 exhibitions. Open studios. Monday concerts. Walking tours. Free events.
Community buy-in from local businesses across West Harlem, Washington
Heights & Inwood. A 72-page printed guide with QR code linking to the
full online calendar.

🖼️ AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL? — JUNE 5TH
NOMAA's new exhibition opens Friday, June 5th, 6–8 PM at 176th & Broadway. 46 artists. 35% brand new to NOMAA. Art that asks: Where are we? Who are we? What is this grand experiment called America?

🎵 MONDAY EVENING CONCERTS
June 1st — Opening at Audubon Terrace | Langston Hughes Quartet
June 8th — Et A Aguilar & the String Beans at Dyckman Farmhouse
June 15th — Berta Marino quintet at Cabrini Shrine Lawn
June 22nd — Kumba Karey at Montefiore Square Park, 137th & Broadway
June 29th — FINALE: Reg Wins at Jackie Robinson Park Band Shell

🏆 2026 NOMAA HONOREES
Michael Palma | Joyce Adewumi | Morris-Jumel Mansion | Myra Lenaris |
Ronaldo Garcia Pantaleon

🎟️ OPENING RECEPTION — JUNE 1ST, 6–8:30 PM
Hispanic Society Museum & Academy of Arts and Letters, Audubon Terrace. FREE. Open to the public. Rain or shine.

💙 NOMAA MEMBERSHIP — $50, TAX DEDUCTIBLE
Access to all programs, NOMAA Labs (free with membership), studio rentals, grants, and special events. Join at nomaanyc.org

📌 nomaanyc.org | @nomaanyc on Instagram & Facebook

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 "Happy Defiance" — Arts in a Time of Uncertainty
00:59 Welcome: One-Year Anniversary in the Sorolla Gallery
01:37 Octavio on the Hispanic Society — Uptown's Hidden Gem
03:00 Niria's Journey: From Graduate Student to NOMAA Director
05:46 Martin's Story: Born & Raised, 24 Art Strolls Deep
07:27 The Audubon Terrace — Open Every Day
07:58 A Night at the Palace: NOMAA's Annual Gala
10:21 Arts Funding in the Current Political Climate
11:36 Community Buy-In: Local Businesses Are Showing Up
12:47 From 24 Pages to 72: The Growth of the Stroll Guide
13:15 What to Expect at the 24th Uptown Art Stroll
15:15 Renewal, Purpose & Why This Moment Feels Critical
17:46 America the Beautiful? — The Exhibition & the Question Mark
20:16 Multi-Generational Artists at NOMAA
22:20 Marta Blair: First Two-Time Grand Prize Poster Winner
24:07 "Happy Defiance" — Why NOMAA Wasn't Afraid to Make a Statement
27:31 Planning the Stroll: Starting in August for the Following Year
31:06 Monday Evening Concerts: Full Schedule
32:12 The Uptown Art Scene — What Makes It Different
35:12 The Urgency: Grant Requests 4x More Than Available Funds
37:34 How Artists Sell Their Work During the Stroll
40:29 The Origin Story: As Grassroots as It Gets
41:45 NOMAA as the Engine, Not the Driver
45:46 46 Artists at America the Beautiful? | June 5th Opening
47:10 Life Flourishing in the GWB Bus Terminal
49:14 Hamilton Grange, Dyckman Farmhouse & More
50:12 The 72-Page Guide: Why Print Still Matters
51:57 Fireworks Over Yankee Stadium: A Founding Memory
56:08 The 2026 Honorees
58:25 How to Find NOMAA & Show Up June 1st
59:13 The Origin of Uptown Voices: Two Guys Arguing on a Sidewalk
01:01:53 NOMAA Membership: $50, Tax Deductible, Open to All
01:03:22 NOMAA Studios: Four Spaces, All Disciplines
01:05:24 Tom Sanford's Installation at the Hispanic Society
01:06:38 Closing: Support Uptown Voices & Spread Love

🎙️ The Uptown Collective documents the culture, community, and voices
that make Northern Manhattan one of the most extraordinary places
in the world.

▶️ SUBSCRIBE: https://youtube.com/@uptowncollective?si=68xPv3IIxHrhJ2BQ
🔔 Hit the bell. Like. Share. It costs nothing and means everything.

❤️ SUPPORT UPTOWN VOICES — TAX DEDUCTIBLE
The Uptown Collective Podcast is a fiscally sponsored project of the
Maysles Documentary Center — your contribution is 100% tax-deductible.
👉 Donate: https://bit.ly/4eddiWT

📺 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBmbtE4yILFqSWCJtf2Day6NBwHp2FYkU

Spread love — it's the Uptown way. 💙