The #MakeAWishMuralProject is inspired by Rey “The Dr¡f” Rosa, a wish alum and co-founder of LISA Project NYC. Rey has fought a critical illness since birth, and after growing up in the foster care system, he credits his wish with bringing color and imagination to his life. Rey’s wish to visit Walt Disney World ® Resort at the age of 10 allowed him, in his words “to see color again.” Ultimately, it led him to becoming a street artist passionate about giving back to his community. 

Inspired by Rey’s story and his work building LISA Project NYC, a public-arts non-profit, he has curated this mural project to continue his mission of "paying it forward.”  Read more about Rey's story here: https://wish.org/newyork/meet-rey-drif-rosa.

Rey has brought together a diverse group of amazing artists who are connected to their communities through art. These artists are becoming part of the Make-A-Wish mission and giving back in a unique way, by sharing their extraordinary talent.

Meet the incredible artists Rey tapped to lend their skills to the #MakeAWishMuralProject.

John “Crash” Matos

As early as 13, John Matos was spray painting New York City trains. He was one of the early mid-70s graffiti artists and is regarded as a pioneer of the Graffiti art movement. Throughout the years, he’s developed a style that’s very pop-oriented, combining the elements of graffiti with pop art - a style that’s synonymous with his name. His work is said to convey a “visual link between street life and established society.”

In 1980, Crash curated the now iconic exhibition Graffiti Art Success for America at Fashion MODA, launching the graffiti movement that has remained very active through today. By the 1980s, Crash gained international recognition through gallery and museum shows across the US and abroad - all of which continue through today. 

And this isn’t Crash’s first collaboration with Make-A-Wish. In fact, he has granted a wish himself. Several years ago, a child wished to see someone paint graffiti, to experience it firsthand. So, Crash stepped in and brought the child to his studio. Afterwards, they spent a few months staying in touch before, sadly, he passed away. He still has a drawing of a dinosaur the child gave him today.

So when Rey approached him about getting involved in this project, “It was a no-brainer,” he said.

“Working on this wall brings back memories of working with him… I was helping him learn how to spray paint a piece of canvas,” Crash said.

He hopes that this mural will help more wish kids like the one he met and like Rey.

“Knowing that Rey is a wish kid, this project bonds what I’ve experienced in the past to what’s going to happen in the future,” he said.

Over the years, Crash has served as a mentor to Rey in his journey as a street artist. For this project, the pair collaborated on a mural, "Seeing Color Again," which celebrates not only Rey's wish experience and the impact it had on his life, but also how the city of New York is coming back to life as we all begin seeing color again.

“What seeing color means to me is actually seeing things for what they are. We tend to gray down our lives. Seeing color, it brings things to life, to the way they should be – there's conversation, there’s action, there’s reaction,” Crash said. “For a long time, we haven’t done that, so this is a nice way of bringing it back.”

“He’s told me a bit about growing up before, but I didn’t know the degree of it,” she said. Now opening up about how his illness impacted his upbringing, Indie immediately understood how important it was for Rey to see the community rally together for him during his wish.

“LOVE IS ENERGY is a mural celebrating the brave youth and their community. I hope this work will serve as a space for gathering, reflection, and create a unique experience for them especially during challenging times.”

“This piece is about community because it takes a village to make things happen for these kids”, she said. “It’s just a reminder to the community that ‘you got this’,” says Indie.

Peach Tao

Born and raised in Beijing, China now residing in Brooklyn, NY, Peach Tao has made a name for herself across the globe. As an award-winning illustrator, muralist, and printmaking artist, she loves creating whimsical images inspired by her environments and travels around the world.

Her nickname “Peach” stems from her family name 陶Tao which shares the same pronunciation of Peach 桃Tao in Chinese. Peach came to the United States to attend school at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Since then, she’s used her BFA in illustration and printmaking to painting fun murals and windows for all kinds of places including public schools, hospital, small businesses, public spaces, bars, and restaurants.

Knowing that Rey’s wish was granted 20+ years ago, Peach is honored to have been selected by him to help tell his story. To Peach, it feels like a beautiful ripple effect that keeps pulling people in so many years later.

For her mural “Every wish come true!” she was inspired by the very kids in her Brooklyn neighborhood that will see this mural when heading in for various appointments…

"Wishes give kids some sort of normalcy, some of their childhood back, so I thought to show some kids being kids. And also, an important part of childhood is curiosity. So I wanted to have some kids 'discover' a wish garden,” said Peach. “I was inspired by a girl who fulfilled her wish of volunteering at an elephant shelter in Thailand - hence we see here an elephant putting a wish star high up."

While she knows she isn’t a medical professional, Peach says, “hopefully this can help the kids in some way. I’m happy to keep the waves going and bring people a smile when they pass by.”