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Staten Island Academy senior Kali DeCristoforo, center, is pictured with her parents, Meg and Mark DeCristoforo and her brothers, Bubba and Shane. (Courtesy Mark DeCristoforo)Courtesy Mark DeCristoforo<\/p>\nSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Kali DeCristoforo, a Staten Island Academy senior, never expected a quiet tribute to her father would wind up on display in one of the busiest transportation hubs in the world.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s exactly what happened when her photograph \u2014 an image of her father, Mark DeCristoforo, head football coach at St. Peter\u2019s Boys High School \u2014 was selected to appear in \u201cDear New York,\u201d the largest public art installation New York City has seen in decades.<\/p>\n
The exhibit, which opened Oct. 6, is currently on view at Grand Central Terminal until Oct. 19.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot sure if this is story worthy but I was so honored I had to share,\u201d Mark DeCristoforo wrote, after learning the photo had been chosen. \u201cApparently this was selected among many submissions to be part of an art exhibit in Grand Central Station. <\/p>\n
\u201cBoth Kali and I didn\u2019t know it was selected. I didn\u2019t know she submitted a photo and small blurb.\u201d<\/p>\n
The surprise selection came via a school administrator, who sent him a picture of the image on display inside Grand Central.<\/p>\n
Kali, a standout senior, plays varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse, participates in theater, maintains a high academic average and is applying to college. \u201cShe is the strongest young woman on the planet,\u201d her father said.<\/p>\n
That strength has been forged through unimaginable tragedy.<\/p>\n
Staten Island Academy senior Kali DeCristoforo, center, is pictured with her parents, Meg and Mark DeCristoforo and her brothers, Bubba and Shane. (Courtesy Mark DeCristoforo)Courtesy Mark DeCristoforo<\/p>\n
On the night of Jan. 1, 2024, a devastating house fire destroyed the DeCristoforo family home and claimed the life of Kali\u2019s youngest sister, 7-year-old Rory. <\/a><\/p>\n Described by loved ones as a dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty with a playful and loving spirit, Rory was the baby of the family, adored by her older siblings, Kali, Bubba and Shane.<\/p>\n \u201cThe youngest of four siblings, she stole a piece of each of their hearts,\u201d the family said about Rory in a statement shortly after the fire.<\/p>\n Reflecting on the Grand Central installation, Mark DeCristoforo said it offered a powerful and unexpected moment of healing and pride.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first reaction to learning her work was selected was truly thinking what a special place Staten Island Academy is, where a student could submit a photograph and paragraph and somehow it winds up hanging in Grand Central Station,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cEven more, that (Head of School Dr. Eileen Corigliano) took time from her day to share these pictures with me, was a reminder of the people around Kali that have helped her triumph over this tragedy,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n \u201cI was truly moved by it because there are many days recently I see how far the world has moved forward and we are still living it as if it was day one without Rory.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n The photograph is part of \u201cDear New York,\u201d a citywide art installation from \u201cHumans of New York\u201d creator Brandon Stanton. <\/p>\n \u201cAt this point to have strength and inspiration be acknowledged and in such a public way, by the most important person in our lives was truly a gift and wake-up call to keep being positive and leading by example,\u201d shared DeCristoforo.<\/p>\n Running through Oct. 19, the project spans more than 150 digital screens throughout Grand Central Terminal and its subway concourse, displaying thousands of portraits and personal stories of everyday New Yorkers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis beautiful art installation transforms the terminal into a photographic display of New Yorkers telling their stories from all walks of life,\u201d Mary John, the MTA\u2019s director of commercial ventures, told ARTNews.<\/a> \u201cIt serves as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n The exhibit marks the first time the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has unified digital displays across the entire terminal and concourse. <\/p>\n \u201cThe general thesis is that all of New York is where the world comes together in a single place,\u201d Stanton also told ARTnews. \u201cAnd there\u2019s something almost sacred about that \u2014 it\u2019s like a microcosm, a proof of concept that humanity can get along even when shoved into the smallest spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n The Main Concourse is transformed with 50-foot digital projections and a custom soundtrack featuring over 100 hours of music curated in collaboration with the Juilliard School. <\/p>\n A Steinway & Sons piano is also available for public use during the installation\u2019s run. <\/p>\n In the subway level below, designer Andrea Trabucco-Campos and his team at Pentagram oversaw what the MTA calls the most extensive use of subway space in the agency\u2019s history.<\/p>\n The installation also includes a community showcase in Vanderbilt Hall, featuring work by emerging artists and more than 600 New York City public school students selected through an open call.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud to provide all of our young artists with the space to shine and share their perspectives through photography and visual storytelling,\u201d Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos told ARTNews.<\/p>\n Stanton is donating all proceeds from the \u201cDear New York\u201d companion book to local charities, after covering installation costs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s beautiful, it won\u2019t be a failure,\u201d Stanton said. \u201cNo matter what happens, it will have been worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Kali DeCristoforo, a Staten Island Academy senior, never expected a quiet tribute to her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217775,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88],"class_list":{"0":"post-217774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Courtesy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FPMXWDJCNRDZZCMLVOFHNTT5OQ.jpg\"\/)
Rory DeCristoforo, 7, died in a house fire on New Year\u2019s Day in West Brighton in 2024. (Courtesy Mark DeCristoforo)Courtesy Mark DeCristoforo<\/p>\n