Christina Elia is a freelance journalist and personal essayist from New York City, where she currently writes about topics ranging from street art to pop culture, television, and travel. Her work has been published online in GenderIt and has appeared in print in Graffiti Art Magazine. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her wandering the streets of Chelsea or the LES, taking advantage of whatever free art she can find and wondering if she’ll ever be able to make rent in Manhattan.

www.stinaelia.com

@stinaelia

@stinaelia

Based in NYC & New Jersey

Mr. Candid // Lonnie Richards is a native of Morrow, Georgia. Lonnie has been doing street photography for eight years. He specializes in taking candid photos of the people he sees. Lonnie likes to photograph the street art and graffiti he observes as he strolls through the city. An Iraqi War Veteran, Lonnie served eight years in the United States Marine Corps. Lonnie is a history buff and likes to research American history whenever he can.

Insta: @mrcandid0_0 

Profile Photo Art by @SuitsWon

Based in Brooklyn, NY

Tyler Bruett is a writer and musician from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is now based in New York City. Fascinated with contemporary culture, he finds pride working with emerging artists, street artists, and musicians alike. He is passionate about using his experience to bridge the gap between artists and the city they inhabit.

Based in Los Angeles, CA

Karen McDonough is a street art photographer/hunter who has been shooting in the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco since 2015. She finds that public art says a lot about the culture of a city, whether intentional or not, and encourages others to get out and explore their own community to discover its magic. Her motto is “Yes!” Her best friend is the Googler. She believes that walking is the best policy and blank walls should be criminal. Her theory? Birds will take over the world because people rarely look up.

Instagram: @flipsidemcd

Based in New Jersey

Jeanelle Folkes is an NJ based love and lifestyle photographer, and owner of Jeanesque Photography.  Born in NY and raised in NJ, she was always drawn to graffiti, but started consistently shooting street when she discovered her love of wandering city streets locally and internationally.  She currently writes for ThirdRailArt and UP Magazine, and contributes photos for Shooters Street Art. When she’s not shooting, she loves baking her delicious soft baked cookies.

IG: @streetartdesire / @jeanesquephotography

Email:  streetartdesire@gmail.com

Website:  www.jeanesquephotography.com

Based in Manhattan’s East Village

J. Scott Orr is a career writer, editor and a recovering political journalist. His work has appeared nationally in countless newspapers, magazines and websites. He is publisher of the East Village art magazine B Scene Zine.

 Instagram: @bscenezine

Website: bscenezine.com

Based in Brooklyn, NYC

Katie Godowski is a Brooklyn-based photographer who has been a passionate photographer for the last 16 years. She loves to photograph street art, humans and whatever she stumbles upon during a photograpy walk. Her work has been featured in New York magazine, TimeoutNewYork, and B&H optics photography contest.

Insta: @katiegodowski_photography

Website: www.katiegodowski.com

Based in Brooklyn, NYC

Milena Bennett is a Creative Director and Photographer from Seattle. She is passionate about capturing the essence of empowerment and people in their natural element.

Insta: @milena_bennett

Website: https://milenabennett.com/

Based in New Jersey

Chun Park (Chunbum Park) was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1991. He came to the United States in 2000 and attended Montgomery Bell Academy for high school. He briefly attended University of Rochester and Bergen Community College from 2009 to 2011. Since 2011, he has aspired to become a practicing artist and studied at various schools, such as the Rhode Island School of Design, the Art Students League of NY, and the School of Visual Arts. He will receive his BFA from SVA in 2020.

@Chun.Park.7

Website

Alexandria Deters is a queer femme embroidery artist, researcher, activist, archivist, and writer based in the Bronx, NY. She received a BA in Art History and in Women and Gender Studies at San Francisco State University in 2015 and her MA in American Fine and Decorative Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, NY in 2016. Her writing and artwork are influenced by her belief that every human being is a ‘living archive’, a unique individual that has experiences and stories worth documenting and remembering.

Website: https://www.alexandriadeters.com

Instagram:

@alexandria.deters.art

@deters.threadz

Alina Perez, a native New Yorker born and raised in Brooklyn, utilizes photography and video to document her love of street art. After earning a B.A. in Media Arts, Alina worked in freelance television for ABC’s The View, CNN, and Al Roker Productions. While earning a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, she learned how to integrate art therapy interventions when working with clients.  She currently combines her background in video production and social work to highlight broader community issues of social justice, equality, and diversity.

Based in Washington D.C.

Emmanuel Brown is a freelance writer from Prince George’s County, located right outside of DC. Initially having an interest in sports journalism, he discovered his love for the arts and culture while studying Communication at McDaniel College. Since this discovery, he has been expanding his writing portfolio to help others discover their purpose and interests. When he is not writing, Emmanuel is either collecting sneakers, watching the latest episode of Atlanta, or out exploring the DC/Baltimore nightlife with his friends.

IG: @lifeofeman_

Based in Brooklyn, NY

Vittoria Benzine is a street art journalist and personal essayist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her affinity for counterculture and questioning has introduced her to exceptional artists and morally ambiguous characters alike. She values writing as a method of processing the world’s complexity. Send love letters to her via:

Insta: @vittoriabenzine

Site: vittoriabenzine.com

Email: vittoriabenzine@gmail.com

Based in London, UK

Sabrina Ortolani was born in Argentina. She studied photography in Washington DC, New York, and London and is currently pursuing a BA in Business and Marketing at Anglia Ruskin University in London, where she also works as a freelance photographer and editor. Sabrina likes to explore different cultures and use them as inspiration to create vibrant photos.

    @sabriortolani.ph

  sabrina.or@hotmail.com

sabrinaortolani.portfoliobox.net

Based in Brooklyn, NYC

Hailey Ryan is a journalist and creative strategist based in Brooklyn. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, she began working at PAPER Magazine where she writes a bi-weekly nightlife column. In addition, Hailey pursues a personal project called “The Conversation,” where she interviews and photographs up-and-coming artists. Beyond writing, Hailey loves dance, fashion, and photography.

Based in Portland, OR

Moira Hampson is a street art photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Her passion for street art has driven her to travel the world to learn about street art and its relation to community.

Insta : @wisdomher 

Based in London, UK

Candelaria Barandiarán was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her passion for learning different cultures has led her to live in Hawaii, California, France and now the UK, where she resides in London. Candelaria has written articles and short stories for several publications such as Tundra, Argentina Cultural Exchange, WorldPackers, Chicas in New York, and currently writes a column for The Londoner blog “People Who Do Things”. When she is not traveling or meeting new people, you can find her in a vintage bookshop.

Insta: @candebarand

Based in Brooklyn, NYC

Noah Daly is a freelance reporter based in Brooklyn, NY. He got started writing as an editor and business manager for the school newspaper at CUNY Brooklyn College, The Brooklyn Vanguard, and since then his writing has appeared in Up, Rolling Stone, Lucid News, and Marijuana Moment. 

    @noah_daily

Based in Los Angeles, CA

Brian Bloss is a Los Angeles based artist, writer, and photographer. He enjoys long walks on the beach and anything wrapped in bacon.

 @_bb.photo

 brianbloss@yahoo.com

Caitlin Sowers grew up outside of Pittsburgh, PA and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Art Education. She was first exposed to street art when she saw Shepard Fairey’s solo show at the Andy Warhol Museum in 2009. A former high school teacher, she moved to New York in 2017 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Art Business and graduated from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in December 2018. Caitlin also loves fostering kittens, going to art openings, and spending time in Prospect Park. In addition to writing for UP, Caitlin leads tours of New York City’s subway art.

   @Caitlinrose__

   caitlinrsowers@gmail.com

teaknewyork.com

Tiwa Lee is a freelance creative with her favorite storytelling mediums being: fashion styling, culture writing, and photography. Using the subway to take her all over NYC, she can be seen at gallery openings, working on set, pop-ups, catching a vinyl set, or maybe perusing the archives at the NYPL. What drives her work is a recently discovered passion for telling stories much different from her own experience. Pulling inspiration from a mosaic pool ever changing, she celebrates community, art, and the future while holding a deep reverence for history.

Instagram @tiwa.neo

Website tiwaneo.com

Based in Colorado Springs, CO

Greg Hamm is a contrarian writer and allegorist. Based in Colorado Springs, he received his bachelors in human physiology and psychology from University of Colorado Boulder in 2014. With his background more in sports and health science, Greg is our dark horse satirical commentator. Outside of writing, you can find Greg in the national parks of Colorado conducting research on his side project, moose husbandry.

Insta: @Mr_Orange35

Based in Los Angeles, CA

Ana-Alicia Salazar is a native Angeleno, Art History major, and Preschool Teacher. She has written for BeautifyEarth.org as well as press releases for artists and is currently constructing a blog. When she’s not canvasing the streets of L.A. daily, Ana likes to listen to art and self-help podcasts, and write poetry.

Insta: @laartlife

Poetry Instagram: @awkwardsilverlinings

Email: OrangeCrush_00@yahoo.com

Based in Toronto, CA / Havana, Cuba

Amir Saarony’s body and mind live in Toronto, Canada but his heart lives in Havana, Cuba. Amir first went to Havana in the late 90s, during the final years of the Special Period for what was supposed to be a 3 week work assignment that ended up lasting into the 21st century. In Toronto Amir has been a graphic designer/art director for over 30 years. After over 100 trips to Havana Amir has participated in many projects. From consulting with businesses, working with social causes and humanitarian aid to writing books and articles. In 2019 Amir published Painted Walls Havana, a 386 page coffee table book on the emerging street art scene in Havana. Falling back on his fine art and art history education Amir is now on a mission to show the world the other side of Havana. The one you do not see in the tourism ads. His next dream is to create a documentary on the urban scene in Havana.

Instagram: @painted_walls_havana

Savannah James is a freelance writer formerly based in Brooklyn, New York and now based in Italy. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Art History at FIT, she felt called to pursue writing as a way of further exploring art and culture and its evolving relationship with society. She is interested in storytelling and the various ways life can be documented. Savannah is also a contributing writer for the Bushwick Daily and Bklyner.

Insta : @jamesxsavannah

Melissa Chemam is a journalist, broadcaster, public speaker and writer based in Paris, France, after years in London, Bristol, but also Nairobi, Bangui, Miami and Prague.

She studied Art History at l’Ecole du Louvre, European Literature at La Sorbonne, and did a Masters in international politics then journalism at Sciences Po Paris. She has been working as a reporter on foreign news for over 15 years, for the BBC, DW, RFI, and many magazines, always covering art and culture too. She has also worked as a researcher on films such as ‘The Young Karl Marx’ and ‘I Am Not Your Negro’. In 2015, she started writing a book on Bristol’s music and street art scene, titled ‘Out of the Comfort Zone’ (published in French in 2016 and in English in 2019).

She writes about activism in art, music, cinema, with a focus on Africa, South West Asia, and their diaspora, the UK, migration, and social change.

Website:  https://sites.google.com/view/melissachemam

Instagram: @melissaontheroad https://www.instagram.com/melissaontheroad/

Based in New York City 

Wendy Random is a photographer and writer from Los Angeles and has been mainly a street photographer for at least fifteen years. Emphasizing on street cultures such as tattoos, graffiti, artists from different mediums, and documents lowrider cars globally as well. Her photography has been exhibited across the country and writes for different publications such as LA Taco and the South Side Weekly newspaper in Chicago. While living in LA, Wendy focused on using her vision to bring awareness to the homeless communities, which led her photographs for exposure in the hardcover book, The Art Of Skid Row. Wendy is currently living and working in New York City to expand her career.

Instagram: @wendyrandom

Based in Atlanta, GA

Brittany Hopman is a photographer, artist, & art journalist. She studied at the Art Institute in Ft. Lauderdale and was drawn to Miami’s vivid Design District. She enjoys chronicling lives’ daily struggles and triumphs as depicted in the raw, powerful form of urban street art. Brittany believes artists can communicate simply and boldly, with or without words. She has traveled around the Southeast to capture street art in its purest forms, wherever it is. She currently resides in the Atlanta area. When not photographing street art, she loves creating her own, specializing in drawing, painting & acrylic murals.

Insta: @razberrydream

Based in Brooklyn & New York City, NY

Daryl-Ann Saunders is Photo Director/photographer for B Scene Zine and contributor to UP Magazine. She specializes in portrait, urban, architectural, alternative process and curatorial photography projects. Early immersion in the East Village punk scene led to a decade-long stint as photographer/PE of the East Village Eye and the East Village Ear magazines, followed by photo assignments for national publications and corporations such as Forbes, Showtime Networks, etc. Daryl-Ann’s fine-art work is exhibited regularly, is held in private/corporate collections and she’s currently preparing her East Village archive for exhibit and book publication.

Website: https://linktr.ee/DASaunders

IG: @DA_Saunders

FB: Daryl-Ann Saunders Photography

Christine DeFazio is an art educator and artist working in the Bronx. She created curriculum for The Met’s Astor Fellowship and Lincoln Center’s Arts in the Middle. She has degrees in Art History from StonyBrook and Hunter. As Director of Michael Hall Fine Art, she curated exhibitions and wrote publications on Renaissance and Nineteenth Century Sculpture. She has exhibited her own art which focuses on capturing the psyche of her sitters, often caught in a dilemma expressed through allegory or myth with a touch of Surrealism. She aims to convey stories of love, longing and despair, through her imagery of the female form.

https://christinedefazioar.wixsite.com/website

https://www.instagram.com/christine_defazio_arts/

https://m.facebook.com/christinedefazioarts/

Andi Schmitz is a writer, artist and recent American expat. Born in Dublin, Ireland and raised in a smörgåsbord of places, she has recently relocated to Berlin, Germany. Lifelong writer and artist, she is recovering from former corporate fintech life by self-induced art immersion. Her hobbies include painting, a good whiskey sour, and exploring art as a form of social outcry.

Johanna Quednau is a German freelance model and artist living in Los Angeles. She studied cultural studies and sociology at the University of Hamburg in Germany in the early 2010s before she decided to move out to California in 2016. Johanna loves living in Downtown LA because of all the mural art, the European architecture and the history. She recently picked up her old passion journalism again and is now part of UP Magazine as a writer.

Rebecca “Bex” Hall is a British writer and author who lives in Greece, gaining inspiration from the beauty of the country and the people and gastronomy. In addition to maintaining her own website, Life Beyond Borders, she is also a guidebook updater for Rough Guides — updating editions of Rough Guides to Greece and the Greek Islands, as well as Portugal.  Her travel app Greece’s Best and Athens’s Best for Android and iPhone sells well: https://www.touchscreentravels.com/apps/athens-best/  https://www.touchscreentravels.com/apps/greeces-best/

She writes for a variety of media including the Telegraph newspaper and various inflight airline magazines including features in Ethiopian Airlines and hotel and restaurant reviews for easyJet.

Her debut novel ‘Girl Gone Greek’ (www.girlgonegreek.com) has been written into a film script, winning Best Feature Fiction Script at the 2018 London Greek Film Festival and Best Feature Fiction Script at the 2020 Santorini Film Festival.  She lives in hope of seeing it developed!

Elena Lovecchio is an Italian writer and photographer, momentarily based in Lisbon (Portugal). Always passionate about contemporary art, she is a graduate of the Master of Arts, Museology and Curatorship program at the University of Bologna and has been fascinated by the world of graffiti and street art since her teenage years. She has analog photography as a hobby and in her free time enjoys going around photographing walls and abandoned buildings.

Instagram: @Lengreyy

Naomi Falk is a writer, who tends to fixate on art, intimacy, pain, and the ways in which we engage and disconnect our sensory perceptions. Also, she is the Rights Coordinator of MoMA’s Publications Department, the co-founder of the new print magazine/collective NAUSIKÂE NYC, and an editor for Archways Editions. Living in Brooklyn these days.

Insta: @Celardolor

Kurt McVey is a writer, artist, curator, and performer living in New York City. He has contributed to The New York Times, T Magazine, Interview Magazine, Vanity Fair, PAPER Magazine, ArtNet News, Whitehot Magazine, Architectural Digest, Cultured, Forbes, Quiet Lunch, Hyperallergic and more.

Insta: @whyankombone

Website: kurtwithyou.com

Roman Dubchak

Insta: @dubchakfilms

Formerly based in Dallas, TX – Currently based in New York, NYC

Trace Miller is a freelance journalist and essayist born, raised, and based in Dallas, Texas. He’s a Southern writer who will write about anything under the sun, as long as it’s interesting. His work has appeared in D Magazine, Central Track, the Dallas Morning News, the Bangalore Review, and Entropy. He’s going to study comparative literature and economics at New York University.

@w_tres_mil

Rikka Logan

Insta: @RikkaLogan

Website: dtlvartwalk.com

Based in Los Angeles, CA

Anthony Luna is a writer/photographer from Los Angeles. He seeks to be on the frontier of the human condition and believes expression to be our most valuable tool in life.

Instagram: @luna.x.tsuki

Currently Based in Berlin, Germany

Sasha Lukyanova is an Irish girl living in Berlin currently interning at a street art marketing agency. With a background in film, she enjoys freelance writing about the arts, fashion, and anything in between. After her stay in Berlin, she is relocating to London in search of new adventures.

Instagram: @sashhaaa

Based in New York, NY

Madeline Katz is a writer currently based in New York. Her articles and short stories appear in Fordham University’s The Observer and Grain of Salt Mag. She enjoys seeing the layers of street art build up around the city as they constantly change. She is currently intrigued by the aesthetic discourse surrounding the differences between Posca and Krink markers.

Insta: @maddie_katz

Raphael Gonzalez is a self-taught photographer, who focuses his work on street photography. A street art enthusiast, he can be found on the streets of New York City photographing the rich street art and graffiti scene. Raphael is particularly interested in documenting artists as they work in public spaces and presenting his photos in interesting ways, telling compelling stories.

Profile Art: Portrait of Zurbaran by Fumero

Insta: @zurbaran1

Email: zurbaran927@gmail.com

City Kurupt is a journalist pursuing a BA in Studio Art and minor in Journalism. She was born and raised in Chicago and focuses on the underground graffiti scene spanning throughout the city. Through artist interviews, photojournalism, and documentary film, she aims to fight stigmas and discuss controversies surrounding graffiti culture using an ethnographic approach.

Profile Art: Bleh the Punk Buddha

Insta: @citykurupt

Madelyn Harlowe is an artist and writer based in New York City. Currently, she studies visual media. She’s still not quite sure how she ended up in the big city. When she’s not writing, you can find Madelyn painting obscene images in glitter watercolors, dancing in the LES or thinking about her kitten, Lolita. Send her secrets via:

Insta: @madelyn.harlowe // Email: Madelyn.harlowe@gmail.com

Berky

Insta: @b3rky

Website: b3rky.com

Jeff Mancilla is a published blogger/photographer based out of Chicago. For the past decade, the primary focus of his work has been documenting and advancing urban art. From graffiti, street art, and murals, he enhances the perspective of his subjects by capturing images with a keen eye for color, detail, and surrounding landscapes.

Insta: @acid_dropz

Jem Vyaz / Parker Stone

Insta: @highkquality

Naomi ‘Milk’ Oguriyama is an editor and writer based in Tokyo. She has a passion for art and graffiti and reports on the real scene in Japan. Milk loves coffee and Onsen. Send her poems via:

Insta : @milk_meetokyo // Email : naomi.oguriyama@gmail.com

Samantha Chilli is a Pittsburgh-born, Brooklyn-based journalist with a love of street art and all things spooky. Her world travels have brought her closer to the street art communities in New York City, London, Helsinki, and more. Sam has twelve years’ experience with The Beaver County Times in Pittsburgh, PA, and manages a metal music blog, Metal Solstice.

Insta: @pittsburgh_sam // Email: samantha.chilli@gmail.com

Mike Cazares was born in Chicago and lives in the Brighton Park neighborhood. He has been doing street photography for 3 years. He enjoys exploring the city on his bicycle and taking photos in Chicago’s 77 different neighborhoods, and discovering sticker slaps and new pieces of street art and graffiti.

Insta: @mickcaz73 // Email: thirdeyeimageschicago@gmail.com

Madeleine Phillip  

Insta: @madeleine_phillipp 

Bella Scheier is a college student at the University of California, Davis studying design. She is a multidisciplinary artist focusing on graphic design, photography and textile design. She enjoys reading, driving around looking for inspiration, and drinking coffee.

Insta: @isabellascheier

Pramila Baisya, known as Prim is a writer and photographer based in New York and New Jersey. Her passion for photography started as a curious child and has slowly intertwined with fascination for street photography and street art. She’s also a personal essayist, and media writer, currently pursuing a writing degree at The New School.

Instagram: @heyyyitsprim & @prims.fotography

Erika Muth is a digital & film photographer, zine designer and publisher. Easr is a graffiti writer, art hustler, and train enthusiast. Together they are ‘Parallel Rails’. The duo is based out of Texas, and creates work in the spirit of the railroad.

Insta: @parallelrails

Website: parallelrails.bigcartel.com

Alexa Modugno is Winston Wise’s global art editor. She has an extensive background in the art world, having worked at a variety of galleries in New York City as a curator and consultant. Her knowledge of the arts is expansive, and she served as a reporter for several art fairs including the Armory Show.

Insta: @Insideouter

Jordan Dimaso

Insta: @jojodimaso

Zane Foley 

Insta: @zaneyorkfly

Gabriel Carpes is a Brazilian photographer graduated in Architecture and Urban Planning based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. As a photographer, he focuses on documentary and visual stories on themes such as urban life, politics and personal life.

Insta: @gabriellcarpes

Website: gabrielcarpes.com

Whitney Graham is a recovering Floridian and New York adoptee, who graduated from NYU with a BA in English and American Literature. She first moved to New York City in 2014 so she could study poetry in the same location many of her favorite writers started. Her favorite elements of NYC are its cultural diversity and creative heartbeat.

Based in London, United Kingdom

Andrew Bell is a freelance writer from Massachusetts and is currently based in London. While living in Istanbul for five years, he became immersed in the graffiti and art culture of one of the oldest cities on earth. He loves getting lost in unknown cities, loves music, and tries his best to differentiate between honesty and bullshit

Based in Rome, Italy

Alessandro Pozzolo was born in Rome, Italy. He holds a Master from Lancaster University and is studying for a PhD in Creative Writing. You’ll find him nose-deep in some obscure 1950s novel, typing away on his cranky Lenovo laptop, or spraying fat letters across Europe with DIY-store cans. Catch him on Twitter at: @alelucapozzol.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia

Richard Santiago II is a Visual Artist that was born in Bronx NY, grew up in 5 other cities,  and now resides in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. He studied Visual Communications in Manhattan in 2005 and is currently a practicing freelancer. Over the years Richard’s art work  has been published and featured 67 times in books, newspapers, and magazines. He has recently self-published his 5th book. Richard grew up and around graffiti art and is a graffiti artist himself. Now, he is happy to present Malcolm’s Reign under the umbrella of UP Magazine.

Insta: @rsantiagoart

Based in Singapore, SG

Griffin Suber is a Washington, DC native currently working out of Singapore. Maybe Thailand or Bali…it varies. A contributor to several publications, he’s into culture, buildings, and exploring diverse perspectives. When not interviewing artists or cuddling with his laptop, he enjoys diving, making beerpizza (one word), and anti-government rhapsodies.

Email: griffinsuber@gmail.com

Instagram: @kentuckyfriedgriffin

Website: griffinsuber.com

Based in Toronto, Canada

Marlon Porter is a photographer from Toronto, Canada specializing in nature and fashion. He is also a lover of words and all things art. When not taking pictures you can find him cooking in a restaurant kitchen at night and attempting to travel the world one budget flight at a time.

Website: www.marlonporter.com

Instagram: @Marlonp_photos

Based in Boston, MA

Chris Macera was born and raised in Rhode Island. After attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas, earning a B. S. in Criminal Justice, he travelled coast to coast for work, finally landing in Boston. When he is not working or touring around neighborhoods looking for street art, he tries to spend time with family and at the beach any chance he gets.

Insta: @somethin_on_the_walls15

Based in Richmond, VA

Ricky Parker is a multidisciplinary artist & curator inspired by the intersections of faith, advertising and American history. He believes that African American history is American history, and that two can not be mentioned separately. Parker uses art as a medium to communicate challenging ideas and topics around race and self-esteem. He considers himself a “servant” and views his art practice as a ministry.

Insta: @iamrickyparker