20 Years of Colossal Collaborations

You can’t build a Colossal legacy without collaboration. You might build something big (at best), but if you aspire to greatness, huge-ness, Colossal-ness, then consider this: it takes strong community ties, centrally located canvases, the best clients in the business, and an unwavering commitment to craft.

Good Neighbor 

While we’ve engaged in community service since day one of walldogging, we decided to formalize our mission in 2020 in the form of Start Today — our corporate responsibility program. It was founded with a mission to platform artists and issues through our craft, build awareness both internally at Colossal and externally in our communities, and drive sustainable change in the world around us.

Since its inception, Start Today has continued to deliver on that promise. Our first project was a bicoastal declaration of solidarity with Black Artists + Designers Guild that earned bronze medal recognition in the 2021 OBIE Awards. In 2023 we strengthened this partnership with a Williamsburg mural, echoed and amplified across the country on 383 Lamar-owned digital billboards. The partnership was a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve together with our parent company. 

We’ve painted for Stop Asian Hate, Urban Indigenous Collective, and for mental health awareness with You Are Not Alone Murals. We’ve provided tours and demonstrations for the ELM and Bresee Foundation. We’ve donated space to the Newtown Creek Alliance Project and collected funds for the Loveland Foundation, One Love Foundation, and Bowery Mission. We’ve collaborated with North Brooklyn Angels and attended a record-breaking impact day at Citymeals on Wheels. 

We've accomplished a lot, but our goal to better our communities is never done. Stay-tuned to our future Start Today projects and reach out if there is an organization we should consider collaborating with!

Patrons of the Arts

Our clients and communities know that a Colossal mural is so much more than an advertisement. Beyond the obvious impact of a hand-painted campaign (check out Cartier’s MFour results if you don’t believe us), it has an immense effect on creative careers, neighborhood pride, and the local landscape. Just as every mural is a masterpiece, so is every client a patron of the arts. We credit some of our earliest and longest client relationships with cultivating Colossal into what it’s become twenty years later: a thriving testament to tactile creation and time-honored tradition. These brands saw the potential in our hand paints before we had the data to prove it — an instinct and respect that’s carried us through decades of mutual achievement. 

We’ll save the master list for our memoirs, but we’d be remiss to leave you without some highlights and greatest hits. 

Making History

Colossal’s journey from rag-tag sign painters to world-renowned walldogs has been signposted with incredible moments and victories. Some of our proudest are the collaborations with artists, foundations, and museums. Through artist sourcing, we’ve introduced our clients to creatives and brushed stunning canvases. We brought the cheerful compositions of Dingding Hu to Thomas’ Breads, the bright colors of Kitkat Pecson to Google, and the wiggly world of Mike Perry to Oscar Mayer (to name just a few). Conversely, we’ve reproduced famous pieces for some of the biggest names in the art business: Roy Lichtenstein, Banksy, Nick Walker, and Faile. We’ve also made masterpieces on behalf of New York’s most prestigious institutions and landmarks, like MoMA, PS1, Christie’s, and the High Line.

Homecoming

In our 20th year of Colossal collaborations, we wanted to partner with a local brand that gets what it’s all about to be Brooklyn born, bred, and based. Always Hand Paint, meet OnlyNY. As longtime admirers of their ability to balance hustle and playfulness, nostalgic touches and contemporary cool, and constant creative evolution, we were thrilled to mark this momentous birthday with a limited-edition line of merch. Our crew received exclusive workwear, with t-shirts available to friends and fans online and in-stores. Of course, we celebrated the collaboration the only way we know how — with big, bold, beautiful murals.