The Gallery at Nova Omnia

EXHIBITION COMING SOON

The Photography Collection on the 9th Floor

Grace Copeland is a freelance artist based in New York City who specializes in capturing performing arts through photography and film. She is known for her immersive style of capturing movement. Grace transitioned from vocational ministry into the arts in 2021, encouraged by friends who believed that she was an artist before she believed it herself. A proud member of Creative.NYC, she has exhibited her photography at Rockefeller Center and Moshava Arts and produced works like the Hephzibah House Musical Movement Tour and IJM x Broadway: Until All Are Free. Grace hopes to always create in a way that loves the artist more than the art.

Black and white photo of Bedford Avenue subway entrance in Brooklyn, New York. The sign indicates it is near North 7 Street, and there are a few pedestrians on the street with storefronts and a wet sidewalk visible.
Black and white graffiti mural on a brick wall featuring the word "Queens" in large, stylized letters with a cityscape of buildings above it and a cartoon character wearing a hat on the left side.
Black and white photo of historic multi-story buildings with ornate architecture, large windows, and rounded towers. Birds are flying in the sky above.
Black and white photo of urban buildings with a water tower on top of one building.
Street scene with vendors selling bananas and other produce from cardboard boxes and a parked van in the background.
Black and white photo of an urban brick building with fire escapes and multiple windows, some with air conditioning units.
A black and white photo of a corner mini-mart called Washington Heights Mini Market, with street signs for Amsterdam Avenue and W 164 Street. The storefront features colorful murals, advertisements for fruits, vegetables, hot and cold sandwiches, and

Artist Statement

“Prayers for New York” is a collection of black-and-white street photographs of New York’s beauty and brokenness. As I walked 63 miles and 140,000 steps capturing these, I was reminded how much my time in vocational ministry was deeply informed by Tim Keller’s teachings and Redeemer’s ministries. From working at the Dream Center NYC to studying at The King’s College, Keller’s influence has informed my view of art as a cultural apologetic. I’m proud to work on commissions like this one that are part of a broader movement reviving the church’s role as a patron of the arts in our time. Special thanks to the leaders I’ve gotten to work under to make Jesus known in New York City: Brad & Stella Reed, Stephen & Priscilla Perumalla, David Beidel, Jenn Petersen, and Josh Dunn.


Prints from the “Prayers for New York” collection are available on her website. 10% of the profits will be donated to City To City.

 Statement from STUDIOS on the 7th and 8th Floor Murals

Having had the privilege to work with Redeemer and City to City for a few years, STUDIOS Architecture was asked to design full scale graphics to help define and anchor the City to City floors at 150 East 91st Street. These were more than just wallcoverings; these designs were meant to embody the essence of the organization, its mission, and provide illustrations of the hopes and goals of the new space. 

The 7th floor was a story of cities coming together; how to represent all of the locations and identities of City to City while still being grounded in New York. We abstracted city skylines from all over the world, from Mumbai to London, to evoke the rhythm and reflection of each city as if they were all connected. Hidden within every detail is a nod to the physical place - the urban fabric of NYC just outside the window is reflected back through the colors and palette of the 50 foot long mural. This physical journey gives both visitors and employees an opportunity to reflect on the impact of CTC at a global scale. 

The 8th floor was a journey of identity and hope; making something whole and new from something broken and incomplete. The goal was to be intentionally vague - creating a sense of curiosity and thoughtfulness, but rooted in the notion of place and familiarity - the map of New York City. Each perspective and vantage point tells a different story. In some moments, the triangles of the boroughs emerge, creating edges and certainty. In other moments, the blending and fading of shapes and colors provide mysteriousness and imagination. It is a story of what lies beneath, what can be discovered through the community and renewal anchored in City to City New York.