This month, Human Connection Arts is bringing live, nude body painting to Bushwick on July 20 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Maria Hernandez Park. Over the past decade, founder Andy Golub has been painting naked bodies in public spaces all across the world. The goal: “to share who we are as human beings, to build a community accepting of ourselves and each other,” as presented in the organization’s mission statement.

Golub has always been an artist, finding himself painting on any surface he could get his hands on, from canvases to cars. After painting a mannequin one day, he decided that he wanted to try painting on the human body. “I found out that when I painted somebody, there’s almost a mental, psychic-like connection between you and them,” Golub told Bushwick Daily. After experimenting with body painting a handful of times, Golub “wanted to take the project outside and show people the transformation” that seems to happen, both physically and mentally.

Though he’s not a nudist, Golub loves the idea of using the naked body to celebrate the humanity we share with others. However, his public events haven’t always been embraced in the same way. In 2011, Golub was arrested for 25 hours, despite public nudity for the sake of art being legal in New York City. “It was an interesting experience,” he explained. “I don’t mind taking a little bit of heat if that’s what’s necessary for people to understand art.”