Finding Murals in Midtown with Affinia Hotels & Artist Rubin
Photos by Marques Jackson Photography. Art runners and artist Rubin in front of one of his murals at Garden Suites Hotel by Affinia.
By Marnie Kunz,
Certified run coach, Runstreet founder
We found murals in Midtown Manhattan for a special event in partnership with Garden Suites Hotel by Affinia for a special VIP Art Run featuring amazing street artist Tony “Rubin” Sjoman. For this fun fall Art Run, part of the #ArtatAffinia program, New Yorkers and visitors gathered for a 5K art running tour through Midtown Manhattan led by Runstreet. The run began with a talk by featured artist Rubin, who gave us insight into his creation process for the beautiful murals he painted at Garden Suites Hotel by Affinia on E. 64 Street in Manhattan.
Rubin, whose murals are featured at the hotel, is a NYC artist who hails from Sweden and he draws inspiration from his Scandinavian heritage for his complex abstract geometrical murals and studio works. He has painted all over the world and if you live in NYC, you’ve probably seen his geometric murals around the city.
The Art Runners were excited to learn about Rubin’s art firsthand and to have the artist run with us. As it turns out, Rubin is not only a world renowned artist but also a serious distance runner, and he just ran the NYC Marathon.
Usually art does not come to mind when thinking about the business suits and concrete in Midtown, but everyone was delighted to see and learn about an impressive amount of street art and n Midtown NYC on our 5K Art Run, including the colorful and massive murals of a recent UN mural project (which you can read more about in our last post here).
The VIP Art Run ended with special goody bags including coloring kits and a print of one of Rubin’s designs to color, Affinia water bottles and Lenny and Larry’s protein cookies, high-fives, and lots of smiles.
Related Posts: UN Mural Project Illuminates Midtown Manhattan, Where to Run in Brooklyn, Where to Find the Best NYC Street Art
Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach, a dog lover, an Akita mom, and the founder of Runstreet. She specializes in helping runners get faster and stronger and helping beginners elevate their fitness levels. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
Updated: Sept. 2, 2024
