Rooftop Legends
Rooftop Legends was founded in 2007 by New Design high’s own Dean Jesse Pais & is hosted at New Design's rooftop. Rooftop Legends annual events have transformed the rooftop of Seward Park Campus into an open air art gallery featuring work by the most legendary and respected artist’s in the street art world.
Past events have showcased murals by: TATS CRU, Ces, Daze, Cey Adams, Stash 2, Tristan Eaton, Dez, Part, Claw, Doc, Kel 1st, SP.one, Reas, Pure, Keo, Mast, T kid 170, Queen Andrea, Dmote, Ribs, Chino, Cycle & wane to name a few. With music provided by The Heavy Hitters own Dj.Enuff And hosted by Hot 97’s Laura Stylez. Rooftop Legends holds weight New York’s premier family friendly annual street art event.
Rooftop Legends
Rooftop Legends was founded in 2007 by New Design high’s own Dean Jesse Pais & hosted at N.D.H.S, where he has resided as Dean for the past 17 years. Jesse’s carefully curated annual event’s transforms the roof top of Seward Park Campus into an open air art gallery featuring work by the most talented, legendary and respected artist’s in the graffiti art / street art wold.

Past events have showcased murals by: TATS CRU, Ces, Daze, Cey Adams, Stash 2, Tristan Eaton, Dez, Part, Claw, Doc, Kel 1st, SP.one, Reas, Pure, Keo, Mast, T kid 170, Queen Andrea, Dmote, Ribs, Chino, Cycle & wane to name a few. With music provided by The Heavy Hitters own Dj.Enuff And hosted by Hot 97’s Laura Stylez. Rooftop Legends has rapidly become New York City’s Premier family friendly annual graffiti art event.
SAY HELLO TO
Jesse Pais
Creator
& Dean.
The Rooftop Legends event began in 2007 and is the brainchild of the school's Dean, and graffiti artist, Jesse Pais. Realizing the need to preserve graffiti art and provide a space to paint, the event continues to bring together some of the most prolific artists from the cultures formative years and today. The reasons Jesse had for bringing this to the roof of the New Design High School are bigger than a love for the art, having worked with kids since he was 17-18 years old his passion to make these students not just want to go to school, but be proud of it, is the main factor.
What the world is saying
-
"Jesse from Rooftop Legends hit me up in the summer about painting this year’s event in the fall. When he offered me the large corrugated metal wall on the rooftop, I was hype because I was looking for my next big wall."
MAST -
"With the attendee list stating talent like Dmote, Bio, TATS crew, Cycle, Dez, Reas, Ces, Pure, Daze, Kel1st, Doc, Stash2, Keo, Part1, Mast, SP One, Claw, Queen Andrea, Chino, Ribs, Enue, Tristan Eaton, Dragon76, Jaek El Diablo, Vers, Bluster, Gorey, Albertus Joseph Cern and Wolf to name a few, it was certain to be an inferno. And with the Montana GOLD and Montana BLACK cans a blazing, there was no stopping the visual fire."
Montana Cans Blog -
"We caught up with Principal Scott Conti and Dean Jesse Pais at New Design High School's Rooftop Legends show over the weekend. They told us why they love the Lower East Side. We'll be posting a piece about their school and the Rooftop Legends."
The Low Down - News from the Lower East Side -
"The school's exhibit, 'Rooftop Legends', showcases some of the most well-known street and graffiti artists."
CLAW -
"After two decades of attending classes at Seward Park High School — when I wasn’t hanging out in the parking lot! — I was back. I never thought I would be. This time, though, it was to hang on the rooftop with some of my favorite graffiti and street artists."
Street Art NYC -
"All aspects of Hip-Hop culture comes out in this event - from the fans, celebrities, artists, and families of all ethnicities, the melting pot of Manhattan where the diversity is well represented. Not only do Hip-Hop heads from all five boroughs show up, but people from out of town and out of the country do, too!"
Sold Magazine by Artists for Artists
SAY HELLO
Jesse Pais
Creator & Dean.
The Rooftop Legends event began in 2007 and is the brainchild of the schools Dean, and graffiti artist, Jesse Pais. Realizing the need to preserve graffiti art and provide a space to paint, the event continues to bring together some of the most prolific artists from the cultures formative years and today. The reasons Jesse had for bringing this to the roof of the New Design High School are bigger than a love for the art, having worked with kids since he was 17-18 years old his passion to make these students not just want to go to school, but be proud of it, is the main factor.
New Design High School is a New York City Public School