If you’ve been to Fantasy Fest in Key West or entered body painting contests at your local nudist club, then you understand how creative one can be when the human body is your canvas. The 9th annual New York City Bodypainting Day took place on Saturday July 24th in Union Square Park and connected over 40 artists with live subjects to paint artwork representing this year’s theme of “Hope”.

Sponsored by Human Connection Arts, a non-profit association dedicated to using the arts to share a message of freedom and unity, the event organizers hoped to have over 1000 people joining hands to sing together to express the joy of self-expression the body painting represents.

We applaud the creative effort and the message behind the art, and hope that joy and spirit will inspire others to see the human body in its natural state. Passengers have also been known to body paint on our charters to coincide with our costume events. If you do, just make sure to use water-based paints as cruise lines are now required to follow strict environmental laws.