Overview:
New York and North Miami each unveiled streets this week honoring Haitian figures who changed their worlds — artist Jean‑Michel Basquiat and community advocate Gepsie Metellus. The civic tributes mark how Haitian heritage continues to influence American art and public life.
NEW YORK — Two American cities marked milestones this week, honoring the contributions of Haitian figures whose work reshaped art and uplifted communities.
In New York City, officials unveiled Jean-Michel Basquiat Way, paying lasting tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Haitian-Puerto Rican artist who transformed contemporary art, by renaming a block in his honor.
The stretch of Great Jones Street between Bowery and Lafayette Street — where Basquiat lived and worked during the height of his career — now bears the name Jean-Michel Basquiat Way. The artist rented his studio at 57 Great Jones Street from close friend Andy Warhol from 1983 until his death in 1988.
New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher and members of his office joined Basquiat’s family on Oct. 21 to unveil the new street signs.
“I think he’d feel so acknowledged and honored and I think he would be thrilled,” said his sister Lisane Basquiat, speaking to local network ABC News.
Born in Brooklyn in 1960 to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat began his creative journey as a graffiti artist under the tag SAMO, spray-painting cryptic messages across Lower Manhattan. His work quickly evolved into a visual language that combined raw emotion, social commentary, and Afro-diasporic history — establishing him as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
“I feel like he changed the culture,” his nephew Raymond Joseph Basquiat told ABC News. “Art had a certain way of looking before, and now it has a different culture. And it looks good.”
After being featured in the 1980 Times Square Show, Basquiat gained global fame through collaborations with art legends like Warhol and exhibitions at major galleries. His 1982 painting “Untitled” sold for over $110 million, setting a record for the most expensive work by an American artist.
Today, the facade of 57 Great Jones Street still bears traces of his artistic presence. The space now serves as a fashion showroom for actress Angelina Jolie’s brand, Jolie Atelier, complete with a commemorative plaque marking Basquiat’s time there.
Councilmember Bottcher said during the ceremony that the renaming honors an artist whose work transcended art itself.
Basquiat’s life was cut short in 1988, when he died at 27 from an accidental overdose in his Manhattan studio.
A day later, on Oct. 22, the City of North Miami and Vice Mayor Kassandra Timothe honored another Haitian trailblazer — community leader Gepsie M. Metellus — by renaming NE 134th Street as Gepsie M. Metellus Street.
Born in Port-au-Prince, Metellus co-founded the Haitian neighborhood center Sant La, which has become a cornerstone for immigrant services and civic engagement in South Florida. Over more than two decades, she has earned national recognition as an advocate, commentator, and humanitarian advancing the Haitian-American voice.
“I believe this street redesignation to be a fitting honor for a pioneer like Ms. Metellus, who has paved a way forward for so many in our local community,” said Vice Mayor Timothe in a statement announcing the event.
The back-to-back tributes — one in New York’s art world, the other in Miami’s civic heart — reflect how Haitian heritage continues to shape American cities and culture.
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